Egyptian officials said the crossing point would operate daily between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., except Fridays and public holidays, giving Gazans a gateway to the world. Rafah is the only crossing that is not controlled by Israel.

Gazans would be able to enter Egypt without visas with the exception of men aged between 18 and 40. Hundreds of Gaza residents arrived at the Palestinian side of the crossing in order to travel to Egypt but Hamas security men who control the crossing announced that those who had already registered to cross the border would be given priority.

Salam Baraka, a border control official, said new arrangements would be worked out on the Palestinian side to ease travel prosedures for Gaza residents. He said online registration through an Interior Ministry website would continue.

Among the first to cross the reopened terminal were two ambulances ferrying patients from the Gaza Strip for treatment in Egypt as well as a minibus carrying a dozen visitors.

Egyptian medical staff were on hand to make sure travelers did not have infectious diseases, but state security was notably absent. In the past, Egyptian state security officials manned the crossing point.

"It is the first time in four year I feel that I am free to travel with no obstacles," Akram Darwish, a resident of Rafah told Arab News.

Rami Arafat, 52, was among the earliest arrivals. He said he hoped to catch a flight out of Cairo on Sunday to Algeria for his daughter’s wedding. “All we need is to travel like humans, be treated with dignity, and feel like any other citizens of the world who can travel in and out freely,” Arafat said.

Standing near him, 28-year-old Khaled Halaweh said he was headed to Egypt to study for a master’s degree in engineering at Alexandria University.