Palestinian presidency says ready to work on reopening Rafah crossing

RAMALLAH -- The Palestinian presidency expressed on Monday its readiness to immediately work on reopening the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

In a statement carried by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA, the presidency said that the Palestinian side is ready to immediately work on reopening the Rafah crossing under the agreement signed for the management of crossings in 2005.

It came in response to statements by the European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who announced earlier that the EU agreed to reactivate its border assistance mission in Rafah.

Borrell said during a press conference in Brussels that the border mission's revival will require support from Egypt, Palestinians, and Israel.

Borrell's statements came as the Rafah crossing, a main entry point for aid to Gaza, has been closed for nearly three weeks since Israeli forces took control of it from the Gazan side.

The border assistance mission, deployed by the EU to Rafah in 2005, has suspended its operation since 2007 following the control of Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).