The Rafah border is scheduled to open 9 and 10 March going both directions between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, state TV reported. The border has been shut since January, when it was open for three days for students and humanitarian cases. The border will be opened under the supervision of the Presidential Guards of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, following an agreement between the Egyptian authorities and a delegation from ‘Islamic Jihad', Palestinian News Agency Ma'an and Israeli media reported. Islamic Jihad is a Palestinian movement that is not involved in the political scene in Palestine. The Gaza Strip including the Rafah border crossing has been under Hamas's control since 2007. Relations between Egypt and Hamas are on a brink.In late February a court ruling dubbed Hamas a "terrorist group" and its military wing Al-Qassam Brigades was deemed "terrorist" a month earlier. The group was accused of involvement in "terrorist operations" and killing a number of security personnel in Egypt. The Rafah crossing is the only official border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Throughout the war between Israel and Hamas during the summer of 2014, the border was closed. However, Egyptian authorities occasionally reopened it for a few days at a time during that period. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry described Egypt's policies as "failed" regarding the Gaza Strip as the closure of the Rafah crossings is leading to Gaza's "isolation" and the persistence of a dire humanitarian situation in the strip.
