Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979 but whose interim military rulers want to improve relations with Palestinians, allowed nearly 300 Gazans to enter its territory at the Rafah crossing in the first hour after it opened.
Under new regulations Egypt announced on Wednesday, the Rafah crossing, Hamas-controlled Gaza’s only window to the outside world, will operate six days a week instead of five and working hours will be extended by two hours a day.
“I believe this a unique move and positive development,” said Ghazi Hamad, Islamist Hamas’s deputy foreign minister.
Israel maintains a tight blockade of the Gaza Strip because Hamas refuses to recognise the Jewish state and calls for its destruction. Israeli officials have declined to comment on the opening of Gaza’s only free exit point to the world.
Israel allows some goods to be imported into the Gaza Strip through land border crossings and lets out a small number Gazans, mainly for medical treatment. — Reuters
