AFP - Egypt will open the Rafah border on a daily basis from this weekend to facilitate the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the official news agency MENA reported Wednesday.
Palestinians will now be able to travel through Rafah - Gaza only crossing that bypasses Israel - under the rules of the entry into force before the blockade was strengthened in 2007.
The Egyptian authorities will now open the border for "9: 00 am to 5: 00 pm on a daily basis, except for Fridays and holidays" from Saturday, MENA said.
He said "Palestinian women of all ages will be exempted from visa as men 18 years of age or more than 40 years,".
The exemption also applies to Palestinians entering the Egypt for study as long as they have the evidence of an Egyptian University affiliation.
"The opening of the crossing comes as part of Egyptian efforts to end the State of the division of the Palestinian and national reconciliation," the news agency reported.
While the Egypt had been gradually easing restrictions on the border between the Gaza - Strip it operated five days a week - Palestinian needed to ensure coordination with the security authorities before entering Egypt or had to show humanitarian needs.
The move is likely to rattle Israel who said earlier this month was "worried" by the plans of the Egypt to reopen the crossing.
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom claimed the opening of the border "could allow passage of weapons and terrorists."
Foreign Affairs Minister Nabil al-Arabi Doha round of the Egypt announced that Cairo was considering opening the passage to level, putting end to what he called "shameful" his country's cooperation in keeping closed.
The decision was made as some Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas met to accept a reconciliation to the Cairo agreement.
Palestinian officials welcomed announcement of Arabi, with Chief Saeb Erakat negotiator, saying that it was a step toward the release of the siege on the Gaza Strip.
The border has remained largely closed since June 2006 when Israel has imposed a blockade tight on Gaza after that activists seized Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still being detained.
The embargo is tightened a year later, when Hamas took control of the territory, the eviction of the forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority supported by Westerners.
The Organization of the United Nations has called the illegal blockade and repeatedly requested it be lifted.
The Egypt has actively supported the blockade of Israel, frequently coming from regional harsh criticism to keep the border closed and to build an underground wall in a bid to combat smuggling, which it views as a security risk.
But earlier this year, mass street demonstrations led to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, with the new military regime willing to review its policy on the Gaza Strip.
