The European Union's chief monitor at the Rafah crossing said yesterday that the Palestinian Authority has agreed to put an end to Hamas' fund smuggling from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.

At a news conference at the EU mission in Ashkelon, Captain Pietro Pistolese said that anyone who objects to the agreement would not be allowed to cross through the Rafah crossing.

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Hamas, whose government is restricted by U.S. and EU sanctions, has managed to bring about $60 million through Rafah this year, Pistolese said. Since the EU mission began monitoring the border last year, no munitions, weapons or explosives have been allowed through, he said.

Last Thursday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was held up at the Rafah crossing for more than seven hours because Israel sought to prevent him from entering with suitcases containing $30 million in cash he had raised on a trip to Muslim states.