Palestinians took control of border traffic for the first time ever today, allowing thousands to cross into Egypt from the Gaza Strip in a limited opening of the joint frontier.
Hours before Palestinians in Gaza began tentatively testing their border authority at the Rafah crossing, Israeli forces pursuing Islamic Jihad militants in the West Bank killed three gunmen.
Israel shut down Rafah, Gaza's only gateway to the outside world, just before the last Israeli troops left the coastal strip last week after 38 years of occupation. Israel wants Rafah to remain sealed for months, for a technological upgrade and to test the Palestinians' ability to take control in Gaza.
In the meantime, Palestinians are to use an alternative, Israeli-controlled crossing that is to be opened next week, an option the Palestinians have rejected.
Under these circumstances, Israel, in effect, retains control over Gaza's borders. But it didn't object when the Palestinians announced plans earlier this week to pry open Rafah for two days on Friday. That would, for the most part, allow for the passage of people seeking medical treatment, or studying or residing abroad.
Several thousand travellers were at Rafah on Friday morning to take advantage of that window, which is to remain open continuously until 6 am on Sunday.
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