RAFAH: Gaza’s Hamas rulers on Wednesday said the Rafah border crossing with Egypt was open to travelers following a decision by Cairo to allow in humanitarian aid.
The move to open the crossing was taken in the wake of a deadly Israeli assault on a convoy of activist aid ships that had sought to break a blockade imposed on the coastal territory after Hamas took over in 2007.
"Rafah crossing is open today in all directions," border official Bashir Abu Al-Najaa said in a statement.
The terminal is the only way in and out of Gaza that is not controlled by Israel.
Priority would be given to the sick and to pre-registered travelers, as well as those holding a visa or residency permits from elsewhere, he said.
"The crossing authority will work to facilitate the travel of any citizen who wishes to without any limitations," he said.
"The Rafah crossing will remain open on a permanent basis in order to ease the unjust blockade on the Palestinian people."
Egypt has previously opened the crossing for short periods to allow in humanitarian aid and allow the sick to leave Gaza, and Hamas greeted Cairo’s initial announcement the opening being permanent, with skepticism.
Egypt’s official MENA news agency said the crossing would be open for Palestinians returning from abroad and for those with visas or residency permits to leave the territory.
It said medical supplies, humanitarian aid and food would also be let in but only in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent.
Israel and Egypt have largely sealed Gaza’s borders since the 2006 capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas and other militants, with the closures tightened after Hamas ousted the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Israel has said the closure is necessary to prevent Hamas from importing weapons and insists the humanitarian needs of Gaza’s 1.5 million people are met by the dozens of truckloads of basic goods it allows in most days.
But the closures have severely hindered rebuilding following Israel’s devastating three-week assault on Gaza that ended in January 2009, during which entire neighborhoods were flattened and thousands of homes destroyed.
Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the war launched in a bid to halt years of near-daily rocket attacks from the territory.
Since 2007, Gaza’s economy has been largely sustained by international aid and the smuggling of goods through a vast network of tunnels from Egypt.
