Egypt to open Gaza crossing for four days: Official

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for four days starting Monday, according to a Palestinian official.

Palestinian border official Khaled al-Shaer told Anadolu Agency on Saturday that the Egyptian authorities had informed their Palestinian counterparts that the Rafah crossing would be opened to passengers – in both directions – for a four-day period from Monday to Thursday.

“The border will be opened for students, medical patients and those carrying foreign residence permits and foreign passports,” al-Shaer said.

The Egyptian authorities also announced last week that the Rafah crossing would be opened for a three-day period starting September 7 to allow Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade, which has included the closure of the Rafah crossing by Egypt.

The blockade has deprived the coastal territory’s roughly 1.9 million inhabitants of most basic goods, including food, medicine and building materials.

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for four days starting Monday, according to a Palestinian official.

“The border will be opened for students, medical patients and those carrying foreign residence permits and foreign passports,” al-Shaer said.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade, which has included the closure of the Rafah crossing by Egypt.

The blockade has deprived the coastal territory’s roughly 1.9 million inhabitants of most basic goods, including food, medicine and building materials.