A move comes as Palestinian facts include Fatah and Hamas agreeing to ‘respect and accept the results of the upcoming polls at the Cairo talks.
For the first time in years, Egypt has indefinitely opened its way across Rafah with the Gaza Strip, the only passage to the outside world for non-Israeli-controlled coastal dwellers.
The move came on Tuesday when Palestinian groups held a two-day meeting in the Egyptian capital in which they agreed to “respect and accept” the results of long-delayed legislative and primary elections – set for 22 May and July 31, respectively.
The Palestinian embassy in Cairo said Egypt had decided to open the transit as a result of “intense and bilateral talks between Palestinian and Egyptian leaders to enable Palestinian travel to and from the Gaza Strip. “.
Palestinian sources who attended the talks said they were told by Egyptian intelligence officials that the move was designed to create a better feeling at the talks.
Reporting from Ramallah in the West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim said that some were tying him to the Cairo summit and suspected it was a “move from the Egyptians”.
“Thousands have already signed their names with the interior ministry in Gaza, hoping they can make their way into Egypt – this is their only way of life for the world. -outworld, “Ibrahim said.
“Many are still concerned … that they will not be seriously addressed, especially as a result of security concerns by the Egyptians.”
The Rafah border is the main exit point for the majority of Gaza’s two million population.
The Gaza Strip has no airport and has been under Israeli land, sea and air restrictions for more than a decade.
Israel’s control of Gaza’s airfields and territorial waters, as well as two of the three crossing points, makes it very difficult for Palestinians, who have to obtain difficult permits, to pass through.
For most Palestinians who want to travel, study or seek medical care abroad, they have to enter Egypt before they can make a flight to their destination.
The Rafah cross-section has been largely closed in recent months as part of efforts to eradicate the pandemic coronavirus infection, although it has been open from time to time for short times.
An Egyptian security source told AFP news agency that “this is not a normal or routine opening. This is the first time in years that the Rafah crossroads opens endlessly. It would only open three or four days at a time. “
The Egyptian government has recently issued a threat of the COVID-19 pandemic to keep the border closed [Said Khatib/AFP]
Gaza resident Yasser Zanoun has urged political leaders to put in place a permanent settlement to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation, exacerbated by the pandemic.
“This transit must be open 24 hours a day, all year round,” the 50-year-old Palestinian told the AFP news agency. “There are a lot of humanitarian issues that are horrible.”
The Gaza Strip has been administered by Hamas since 2007, the year Israel stopped the pavement, while the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority ruled on limited autonomy in the West Bank with Israel .
Hamas won an unexpected landslide in the last elections of 2006, an effect not recognized by Fatah. This led to bloody conflict the following year and a split in Palestinian rule. Since then, Egypt has virtually closed the Rafah crossroads.
The Egyptian government has recently issued a threat of the COVID-19 pandemic to keep the border closed.
Gaza has reported more than 50,000 confirmed cases, including some 530 deaths, while Egypt has recorded about 170,000 diseases, including nearly 9,700 deaths.