Egypt opens Rafah border crossing for three days

Gaza, Nov 19 (IANS) Egypt has opened the Rafah border crossing, the only corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egyptian territory, allowing passage in both directions for three days, the Palestinian Authority said.

This is the first time since June 2007 that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is in control of the Palestinian side of the crossing in coordination with the security forces of the Islamist movement Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, Efe news reported.

The re-opening of the Rafah crossing on Saturday is part of the reconciliation agreement reached on October 12 in Cairo between Hamas and the PA, which administers the West Bank.

The operation of the crossing is to be based on the joint efforts between Hamas and the PA, according to an official statement from the Palestinian border authority.

The statement explained that Hamas' Interior Ministry is responsible for the list of registered travellers while the traffic police are in charge of movement outside the transit point. The PA's presidential guard and security forces are to facilitate the movement of people to the Egyptian side within the passage.

Egypt had maintained the closure of the Rafah crossing since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, but Cairo has occasionally opened it for a few days on humanitarian grounds.

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