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The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt officially opened for Palestinians on Saturday, marking the first time the crossing has officially opened since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip four years ago. For all intents and purposes, the opening of the crossing spells the end of Israel's closure of the Strip, although Israel continues to prohibit crossing into its territory via the Erez crossing.

Egypt has reopened the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip for the first time since 2007 in a move praised by Palestinian leaders and the European Union but strongly opposed by Israel. Egypt on Saturday reopened its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, allowing people to cross freely for the first time in four years, in a move hailed by Hamas but criticised by Israel. Among the first to cross the reopened border post were two ambulances ferrying patients from the hitherto-blockaded Gaza Strip for treatment in Egypt as well as a minibus carrying a dozen visitors, an AFP correspondent...

(RTTNews) - In a major policy shift, Egypt's interim government has decided to permanently open the country's border crossing into Gaza from Saturday as part of efforts to end Palestinian division and ensure reconciliation, the official Mena news agency said on Wednesday. The coastal enclave has been under an Israeli-enforced blockade since 2007 after ultra-conservative Hamas won the elections there. According to Mena, Rafah crossing will be opened permanently from 0900 am to 0900 pm local time on all days except Fridays and holidays, beginning May 27."Palestinian women of all ages will be exempted from visas as will men under...