EU scales back monitoring mission at Gaza-Egypt border

The EU is scaling back its monitoring mission at the Gaza-Egypt border, which has been closed since the start of bloody factional fighting that led to Hamas' takeover of the coastal strip, a spokeswoman said Saturday.

The cutback in personnel signals that the European monitors don't expect the Rafah terminal on the border, Gaza's only gateway to the world, to reopen anytime soon. The monitors were deployed under a November 2005 agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, following Israel's pullout from Gaza. Under the deal, the border was controlled by Palestinian and Egyptian security forces, with European monitors deployed on the Palestinian side to prevent smuggling of weapons and militants. (AP)