Israel has reopened the main crossing with the Gaza Strip, allowing thousands of Palestinian laborers to enter the country for the first time since it was sealed earlier this month.

According to local economists, the closure denied more than 18,000 Palestinians from being able to earn a living and deprived Gaza's economy of around US$2 million a day.

The crossing reopened on Thursday, after weeks of violent protests along Gaza's frontier with Israel where demonstrators have thrown explosives and rocks and launched incendiary balloons that sparked fires.

The opening of the crossing is a sign of de-escalation after two weeks of violent protests along Gaza’s frontier with Israel.

After almost two weeks of border closures, Israel reopened its Erez Crossing with Gaza on Thursday. The move comes amid weeks of violent protests along the northern border’s fen