Egypt-Gaza border opens under PA control for first time in a decade

Palestinians wait for travel permits to cross into Egypt, for the first time after Hamas ceded Rafah border crossing to the Palestinian Authority, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

GAZA (Reuters) - The Egypt-Gaza border opened under control of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority for the first time since 2007 on Saturday, raising residents' hopes for easier passage in and out of the impoverished enclave.

An Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal last month formally restored Palestinian President Abbas's administrative control of Gaza, including its border crossings with Israel and Egypt, after a 10-year schism with Islamist Hamas.