Hamas says it will allow Israeli goods into Gaza, claims this past summer's war affected local production.

For the first time in five years, Hamas has decided to allow “Zionist” products into Gaza, the local Ministry of Economy said Sunday.

Imad al-Baz, assistant deputy of the ministry, said soft drinks, clothes, coffee, and other Israeli goods would be allowed into Gaza, reported the Ma’an news agency.

"The last war led to the destruction of thousands of factories, which affected the production power (in Gaza), and to fill that gap we decided to allow Zionist products in," al-Baz was quoted as having said.

"The war damaged the production ability of factories and the nature and quality of the product, because some raw materials are not allowed in" due to the blockade, he said.

"We decided to allow (Israeli) products to enter so that the market is not hindered and so products are available," al-Baz added.

Israel continues to transfer humanitarian aid, goods and construction materials into Gaza, even as terrorists from the region fire rockets at southern Israel. Hamas, however, has at times refused to allow Israeli products to enter Gaza.

For example, in November Hamas announced that it would stop importing Israeli fruit to Gaza, in retaliation for Israel preventing vegetables from Gaza from entering Judea and Samaria at the Kerem Shalom crossing.

In the past, Hamas refused to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority in allowing Gazans to cross into Israel for medical treatment, due to its longstanding row with the Fatah movement.

Hamas has already threatened another war if Gaza is not "rehabilitated" from Operation Protective Edge last summer - a war against Israel which Hamas itself both started and used civilian areas as a base for conflict.