Egypt reopens Gaza crossing for three days

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s border crossing into Egypt was operated Saturday under the Palestinian Authority’s control for the first time in a decade, in a step forward for the Western-backed leadership’s resumption of its functions in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt opened the Rafah crossing point for three days on a humanitarian basis for the first time since the militant Hamas group ceded control of Gaza’s crossings with Israel and Egypt to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. In 2007, Hamas wrested control of Gaza by force after winning legislative elections a year earlier, provoking an Israeli-Egyptian blockade that severely restricted the movement of most of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants.

Hamas has wielded absolute power in Gaza since, driving its humanitarian conditions to near-total collapse. On Nov. 1, it withdrew from the crossings to implement the first step of an Egyptian-brokered deal to end the rift with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party. Talks are to resume in Cairo this month to discuss the Palestinian Authority’s expansion of its rule in Gaza and broader national issues.

The three-day opening was aimed at reducing the number of people stranded on both sides, nearly 80 days since Gaza’s prime crossing was last open. No agreement has been reached to run the crossing on a regular basis.

AP/ADEL HANA People in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, rush to get permits Saturday to board a bus so they can cross the border into Egypt.