Palestinian hopes for Rafah border opening dashed for now

Palestinian leaders had hoped a recently signed reconciliation agreement would lead to Egypt reopening its Rafah border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, but those hopes seem to have been dashed for now.

Last month Hamas and Fatah signed a landmark deal aimed at ending their decade-long split.

The agreement, mediated by Egypt, led to Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority retaking control of Gaza's borders on 1 November.

The PA is also supposed to take full civil control of Gaza by 1 December.

Palestinian leaders had said they hoped the deal would also see the opening of Egypt's Rafah crossing on 15 November, but officials are still awaiting word from Egypt.

"We don't have any information about when Rafah border will reopen again," Nazmi Muhanna, in charge of border crossings for the Palestinian Authority, told AFP.

Egypt has kept its Rafah crossing with Gaza largely closed in recent years, preventing Palestinians from leaving or entering the besieged territory.

Gaza has also been under an Israeli blockade for more than a decade, leading to a humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave.

Egypt is expected to host another meeting of Palestinian factions in Cairo on 21 November to discuss next steps in the reconciliation process.