Hamas to run Rafah crossing after PA withdrawal

By Hidaya al-Saedi and Hani al-Shaer

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Hamas-run Interior Ministry on Monday assumed responsibility of managing the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

The move came one day after the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) suddenly withdrew its personnel from the terminal.

The PA said it pulled out its personnel from the crossing to protest Hamas crackdown on its members in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian factions have decried the PA move, warning that the withdrawal would deepen the Palestinian rift.

Fatah, which is led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, accuses Hamas of arresting hundreds of group members in Gaza ahead of the 54th anniversary of Fatah’s founding, a claim denied by Hamas

Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since the former seized control of Gaza in 2007 from Fatah after street fighting.

The situation escalated between the two movements last week, which observers described as the “most serious” since the signing of the last reconciliation agreement in Oct. 2017 in Egypt.

On Friday, masked assailants raided the headquarters of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation in Gaza City, an attack denounced by Hamas.

The PA assumed control of the Rafah crossing from Hamas in late 2017 under the Egypt-brokered reconciliation agreement between the two groups.