Hamas hands over crossings to Palestinian Authority

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The ceremony of handing over the Gaza Strip's border crossings with Israel and Egypt began Wednesday in the presence of senior Egyptian security intelligence representatives, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas officials.

Hisham Odwan, spokesman for the Hamas-run borders and crossings corporation, said, "From now and then, the Palestinian consensus government is the first and last body in charge of the crossing points in the Gaza Strip."

The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday handed over control of all border crossing points, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt and the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossing points with Israel.

A Palestinian woman presents her documents at the Erez crossing with Israel, in the northern Gaza Strip, November 1, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"The crossings were fully handed over to the Palestinian consensus government without the presence of any employee or any security or police that belongs to Gaza (Hamas authorities) after the PA insisted on this," said Odwan.

The ceremony of handing over the Rafah crossing point to the PA began with playing the national anthems of both Egypt and Palestine, in the presence of PA leaders and officials as well as senior Egyptian security intelligence and Hamas leaders.

"Today is the actual and practical first step of ending an internal Palestinian division that lasted for more than ten years," said Mufid al-Hassayna, minister of housing and construction in the consensus government.

Palestinian Authority staff work at the Erez crossing with Israel, in the northern Gaza Strip, November 1, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The Palestinian government announced that it has cancelled all the old measures of collecting taxes and customs, adding, "from now and then, there is no yellow, green or red, all of us are Palestinians and we will be united," he said.

Flags of Egypt and Palestine as well as pictures of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were placed inside the Palestinian side of the crossing point.

Handing over the crossing points to the Palestinian consensus government is an implementation of an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement reached between Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah Party in Cairo on October 12.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency