Israel said today it does not plan to block Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from assuming control of Gaza's border crossing with Egypt if he reaches an agreement with Cairo.
Mr Abbas has won US, European and Arab backing for taking control of Gaza's border crossing with Egypt at Rafah, though it is unclear how he and his forces would do so given Hamas's control of Gaza.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit endorsed Mr Abbas's proposal to deploy his forces at the crossing along with the EU monitors.
A Hamas spokesman reacted angrily to Cairo's endorsement, calling it an "Israeli-led international conspiracy with the participation of some regional parties," which would exclude them from controlling the border.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt after Hamas militants blew up the border wall to allow the territory's 1.5 million people to stock up on food in short supply due to an Israel blockade. Israel said the blockade was tightened in response to rocket attacks.
Hamas fighters co-operated with Egyptian forces yesterday to patch up the frontier barrier.
Gaza's border crossings have become the main battleground in a larger factional power struggle pitting Hamas against Mr Abbas, whose authority has been limited to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, home to 2.5 million Palestinians.
Before Hamas's takeover, EU monitors had been posted at Rafah under a deal with Egypt and Israel in 2005 that aimed to allay the Jewish state's concerns about arms and fighters coming into Gaza when it pulled out its own troops and settlers.