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Israel has announced it will ease the land blockade of the Gaza Strip and allow more civilian goods to enter the Palestinian territory.
The move comes amid growing international pressure to end the embargo.
An Israeli raid on an aid flotilla attempting to break the blockade last month was widely condemned.
Israel and Egypt tightened the blockade of Gaza after the Islamist Hamas movement took control of Gaza in 2007.
The decision to ease the blockade, agreed by Israel's security cabinet after a two-day meeting, will see the expansion of the number of products Israel will allow into Gaza, including construction materials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that Israel would "liberalise the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza"; "expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision"; and "continue existing security procedures to prevent the inflow of weapons and war material".
"The cabinet will decide in the coming days on additional steps to implement this policy," it added.
It also said that Israel expected the international community to work toward the immediate release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas fighters on the Israeli-Gaza border in 2006.
'Scepticism' BBC Middle East correspondent Tim Franks says the key now will be just how far and how fast these measures take place.
He adds that the fact that it took Israel's security cabinet a second day of deliberations to produce this statement suggests there is still scepticism among some senior ministers about the wisdom of easing the blockade.
Israel says the blockade prevents war material entering Gaza while allowing the entry of humanitarian aid.
The blockade aims to put pressure on Hamas and secure the release of Sergeant Shalit.
It has been widely criticised as "collective punishment" of the 1.4 million residents of Gaza.
Nine Turkish activists died in the Israeli commando raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters on 31 May.
Israel has announced it will ease the land blockade of the Gaza Strip and allow more civilian goods to enter the Palestinian territory.
The move comes amid growing international pressure to end the embargo.
An Israeli raid on an aid flotilla attempting to break the blockade last month was widely condemned.
Israel and Egypt tightened the blockade of Gaza after the Islamist Hamas movement took control of Gaza in 2007.
The decision to ease the blockade, agreed by Israel's security cabinet after a two-day meeting, will see the expansion of the number of products Israel will allow into Gaza, including construction materials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that Israel would "liberalise the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza"; "expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision"; and "continue existing security procedures to prevent the inflow of weapons and war material".
"The cabinet will decide in the coming days on additional steps to implement this policy," it added.
It also said that Israel expected the international community to work toward the immediate release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas fighters on the Israeli-Gaza border in 2006.
'Scepticism' BBC Middle East correspondent Tim Franks says the key now will be just how far and how fast these measures take place.
He adds that the fact that it took Israel's security cabinet a second day of deliberations to produce this statement suggests there is still scepticism among some senior ministers about the wisdom of easing the blockade.
Israel says the blockade prevents war material entering Gaza while allowing the entry of humanitarian aid.
The blockade aims to put pressure on Hamas and secure the release of Sergeant Shalit.
It has been widely criticised as "collective punishment" of the 1.4 million residents of Gaza.
Nine Turkish activists died in the Israeli commando raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters on 31 May.
