Egypt will open its crossing with the Gaza Strip this weekend, Cairo's interim military government has announced.
The move will significantly ease a four-year blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory, but sets up a potential conflict with Israel.
Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (Mena) said the Rafah border crossing would be opened from Saturday daily between 9am and 9pm, except on Fridays and holidays.
This gives Gazans a way to freely enter and exit their territory for the first time since 2007, when the Islamist militant group Hamas seized control of the territory from its Palestinian rivals Fatah, and Israel and Egypt closed their crossings.
Israel's crossings are more significant, since these handle most non-smuggled cargo. A year ago Israel eased its restrictions on cargo entering Gaza, but it still severely limits entry and exit of Gazans through its northern crossing into Israel.
Mena said the decision to open the Rafah crossing was part of efforts "to end the status of the Palestinian division and achieve national reconciliation". more
Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of the novel coronavirus spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with some joking that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario. But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned. "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible
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