Under the approved arrangement, Rafah will operate in both directions for people only, with no vehicle traffic permitted.

Under the current arrangement, any Gazan seeking to exit will require Egyptian approval, with Cairo forwarding names to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for clearance.

The United States urged Israel to make this offer to the PA to facilitate the transfer of goods and people in and out of Gaza.

Efforts by the United States and the European Union to persuade Egypt through the offer of debt relief, in return for allowing the reopening of the Rafah crossing, have not yielded positive results thus far.

Israel is helping the Palestinian Authority and Hamas in Gaza to combat a possible outbreak of Ebola. What would they do without Israel?