The Palestinian Fatah and Hamas movements have welcomed the decision of the Egyptian authorities to permanently open the Rafah border crossing.
As of Sunday, the crossing will by open from 9 am to 5 pm every day except Fridays.
Women of all ages, as well as men under the age of 18 years and over the age of 40, will be allowed to cross without a visa. Palestinians coming in for medical treatment or passing through Egypt to other destinations will also be allowed to go through border without a visa.
Israel is against the move, but has said that opening the border does not in itself constitute a breach of the peace agreement between the two nations.
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities have begun to withdraw the equipment used to build a steel wall separating Egypt and Gaza.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
