Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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International Border Crossing in Gaza Opens to Traffic
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=FEE5E9:3919ACA First busload of
Palestinians moved through Rafah terminal around noon local time,
Saturday





Palestinians, some jumping on top of others, rush to have passports
checked at Rafah boder crossingPalestinians in the Gaza Strip have
begun crossing the border with Egypt on the first day of operations of
a Palestinian-controlled terminal linking the two sides.

The first busload of Palestinians moved through the Rafah terminal
around noon local time (10 hours GMT) Saturday. Witnesses say dozens
of people packed the bus as hundreds more waited.

The Palestinian Authority officially opened the crossing Friday.

The crossing will operate only four hours a day until all 70 European
Union monitors can arrive and get settled. As part of a U.S.-brokered
deal, no Israelis will be present, but a joint team of Israelis and
Palestinians will be able to monitor the border using security cameras
installed at the crossing.

Israel closed the crossing in September after withdrawing from Gaza,
and for months had refused to reopen the border, citing fears that
weapons could be smuggled from Egypt into Gaza.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. 


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