There was a growing evidence of good will after Israel reopened two border crossings with the Palestinian enclave on Sunday.
A decision by the militant group Hamas to try to stop crowds in Gaza from attacking the border fence with Israel during mass demonstrations is a sign that Egypt-brokered ceasefire talks are still on track.
There was further evidence of good will on Sunday morning when Israel reopened two border crossings with the Palestinian enclave after they were closed last Monday when a rocket launched from Gaza landed deep inside Israel, wounding seven.
That attack triggered a new crisis between Israel and Hamas, which controls the territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – facing a general election next week – cut short a trip to Washington to oversee his country’s response, which included the heaviest barrage of airstrikes against the enclave in five years.
Concerns grew over the week that this weekend’s protest on Gaza’s border fence to mark the first anniversary of weekly demonstrations would trigger a new conflict.
Israel increased from two to four the number of 2,000-strong military brigades on duty in the border region in preparation for what protest organisers hoped would be a “million-man march”.
The day began ominously with one Palestinian man shot dead by Israeli forces before the rally had started close to the fence after night-time skirmishes.
owever, as thousands of people began to assemble at five different locations along the 30-mile fence to vent their frustration at Israel, Israeli forces on the other side appeared relatively relaxed as they watched and waited for any attempts against the barrier.
An Israeli officer told me that for the first time Hamas had deployed men in orange vests to help control the crowds and prevent them from moving within 300m (984ft) of the fence.
TV footage showed these people at work.
About an hour into the protest, it was Israeli tear gas not bullets that were being fired across the barrier to help control the crowds, one officer told me.
Israel has come under heavy criticism from the international community over the use of live ammunition to protect the fence from attack.