Palestinian Authority Takes Over Gaza's Borders From Hamas
- Move was agreed in Egyptian-mediated accord signed last month
- Palestinian groups are taking steps to end decade-old rift
The Palestinian Authority took control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt as well as the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossing points with Israel, the isolated enclave’s only land outlets to the world.
Photographer: Thomas Coes/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Palestinian Authority retook control of Gaza’s border crossings from Hamas militants Wednesday, a key step in an Egyptian-brokered effort to end a decade-old rift that has hampered the Palestinians’ bid for statehood.
Hamas, an Islamist militant group which had controlled Gaza since 2007, last month handed over most government functions to the Fatah-dominated authority. Under the agreement struck in Cairo the following week, the groups agreed that a consensus government would take full administrative control of the Gaza Strip by Dec. 1 and deploy its forces along its borders, a longstanding demand of Egypt and Israel, by today.