20110502
reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt intends to open its border with Gaza permanently to ease life for Palestinians under an Israeli blockade but the mechanics of such a step are still being worked out, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The initiative, received coolly in Israel, suggested a further Egyptian policy shift since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak, whose government cooperated with the Jewish state in enforcing the blockade on the Islamist Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Under Mubarak, Egypt only sporadically opened up the Rafah border crossing for food and medicine, or to let through people, mainly those seeking medical treatment or travelling to study from the area which is home to about 1.5 million Palestinians.

That system has broadly stayed in place since Mubarak was pushed out on February 11.

"The intention is there to open it on a permanent basis to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, but all the mechanics on how it is going to work are under study," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Menha Bakhoum told Reuters.

She said the issue was being studied "at all levels" but did not say when this might be implemented.

Israel, which had earlier voiced hope that the clampdown on the Egypt-Gaza border would remain in place, was circumspect about Sunday's announcement from Cairo.