EU border experts deployed to support reopening of Rafah crossing

The European Union plans to deploy border management experts to support the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, diplomats confirmed to dpa on Friday.

Member states have approved a revised plan for the EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point, which was first established in 2005 to help control the crossing.

There has been no EU presence at the border crossing since the Islamist Hamas group took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007.

In an initial phase, a low double-digit number of EU border experts and support staff are to be deployed to supervise border checks, if possible from the beginning of February, the diplomats said.

The reopening of the Rafah crossing is part of a three-phase ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, and should enable significant amounts of humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.