The Rafah border crossing is the only route into the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel. – AFP Photo
CAIRO: Egypt is to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on Sunday (Dec 21) for the second time in two months to allow those stranded in Egypt to enter the Palestinian territory, officials said.
The Rafah crossing is the only access point to the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel. It was shut by Egypt in late October following a deadly bombing in the Sinai Peninsula, reopening briefly at the end of November to allow Palestinians stuck in Egypt to return home.
Police official Ali al-Azazi told AFP that a similar operation will take place from Sunday and only for two days. “Egypt will open the Rafah crossing Sunday and Monday to allow those stranded on the Egyptian side to go to Gaza,” he said.
More than 3,500 Palestinians were stranded when Egypt closed the crossing after a suicide attack killed 30 soldiers in North Sinai on Oct 24, the United Nations said last month. It was not immediately clear how many of them are still stranded.
Many Palestinians who travel through Rafah are students heading to universities in Egypt or beyond, or patients in need of medical treatment not available in Gaza. – AFP