Egypt to re-open Rafah crossing with besieged Gaza
Egypt to re-open Rafah crossing with besieged Gaza
After a days-long closure, Egypt will re-open the Rafah crossing, which is the besieged Gaza Strip's only avenue to the outside world.
1 min read
Gaza is under siege [Getty]
Egypt will reopen the border crossing with the besieged on Sunday after a days-long closure, the Palestinian embassy in Cairo announced.
The embassy said in a statement that the crossing willÌýreopen on Thursday in one direction only to allow Gazans stranded in Egypt to return home and will resume operation as normal in both directionsÌýon Sunday.
Hundreds of Gazans were stranded in Egypt for several days following the .
Security sources on Monday confirmed the crossing would be closed until further notice, without offering details or saying why.
Egypt had ordered theÌýRafahÌýcrossing between Gaza and EgyptÌý-Ìýthe enclave's only border point not controlled by Israel - to open in May to allow wounded Gazans to be treated in Egyptian hospitals and to deliver aid.
The opening came in the aftermath of the 11-day exchange of Hamas rocket fire and devastating Israeli airstrikes, which also pushed Egypt to pledge $500-million towards Gaza's reconstruction.
Egypt had brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which ended Israel's bombing of Gaza.
The Egyptian decision to close Rafah cameÌýafter a weekend of Israeli shootingsÌýon Gaza's eastern frontier.
Ìý
Ìý
