Egypt has agreed to keep the Rafiach border crossing with the Gaza Strip open for a full 12 hours every day, a Hamas leader said on Saturday, signaling a further shift in Cairo's stance since the election of a Muslim Brotherhood head of state in Egypt.
Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, said that in addition to allowing the border to remain open an extra four hours, Egypt agreed to increase the number of Gaza Arabs allowed to cross by about a third, to 1,500 a day.
An Egyptian official confirmed the decision, but added that it would take time before the crossing was ready to handle the increased traffic.
It will be the first time the Rafah crossing will be open for so many hours since 2005. The decision on the crossing came after Haniyeh met Egypt's newly elected President Mohamed Mursi in Cairo this week. Officials have also committed to increase the flow of fuel supplied to Gaza via Egypt. (Reuters)