Rafah crossing opens for three days

Palestine

Published: 2018-02-08 12:25

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 11:10


Hamas took over the coastal enclave in 2007 (Daily News Egypt)
Hamas took over the coastal enclave in 2007 (Daily News Egypt)


The Egyptian authorities decided to reopen the Rafah crossing for three days starting Wednesday in both directions, Middle East Monitor (MEM) reported.

On his part, the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, Diab al-Louh, expressed gratitude to the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his efforts to “alleviate” the Palestinian people’s suffering in Gaza.

The Rafah crossing was last opened in December 2017, meaning this is the first time for it to open in 2018.

Throughout 2017, the crossing was opened for 35 days, with around 35,000 humanitarian cases registered with the Egyptian interior ministry.

Earlier in November, Hamas handed over the control of Gaza border crossings with both Egypt and Israel to the Palestinian Authority as a practical step for the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement between the two rival parties.

In addition to its crossing to the north with Israel, the Rafah border is the only access point for Gazans to the world, and it is shut down most of the year.