Egypt reopened the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after it had been closed for four consecutive days due to a dispute between Egyptian authorities and Hamas officials, DPA reported.
An Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the two sides had resolved their differences.
The border crossing is an essential entry and exit point for the 1.6 million Palestinians living in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-imposed blockade that restricts the movement of both people and goods, particularly since Hamas took over by force in 2007.
After former president Hosny Mubarak was ousted in February, Egypt said a new policy towards Gaza would include permanently opening the crossing.
However, differences between Cairo and the Islamist Hamas movement ruling the strip about the proper way to operate the passage had left hundreds of Palestinians stranded on both sides for several days.
Hamas had praised the Egyptian decision as a positive step, but then locked the gate on its side for several days in protest at Egypt's temporary closure.
Salah Al-Bardaweel, a Hamas leader in Gaza, accused Washington and Israel of pressuring Egypt over the recent opening of the crossing.
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