CAIRO: Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyah called on Egypt to keep the Rafah Border Crossing open 24 hours a day 7 days a week, in a speech given on Wednesday in the Palestinian territory. Speaking while opening a new hall at the very border crossing he wants open, Haniyah called on the Egyptian government “to open the door of the Rafah crossing wider by allowing it to work around the clock and increasing the number of travelers.” It comes as Hamas hopes the ascension of Egypt President Mohamed Morsi, who was the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, will help usher in a new era of understanding with the embattled Gaza Strip, which continues to bear the brunt of an Israeli blockade on the 1.5 million people on a daily basis. At present, the Rafah crossing is only open for around 9 hours daily, 6 days weekly. Egypt has capped the number of persons allowed to cross at 1,500, which Palestinians say is not high enough to meet their needs. “Gaza today has commercial, agricultural and industrial activity,” he added, saying he had discussed with Egyptian officials the possibility of establishing a free-trade zone. “We signed some deals and there are businessmen in Gaza ready to work on this, but we are still waiting for practical steps forward,” he said. Egypt has said it will permanently reopen the border crossing. The government, speaking after the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak, in May 2011, promised to end its participation in the blockade of Palestinian territory since 2006. Rafah is the only terminal not controlled by Israel.
