Rafah border crossing opens for 3 days

Egypt will open the Rafah border crossing over Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in both directions to facilitate the entrance of “humanitarian cases”, the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said.

This comes as after the approval of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, state-owned news agency MENA reported.

The border has been officially closed since 24 October 2014, following attacks on the Qarm Al-Qawadis checkpoint by “Sinai Province”. The militant group killed at least 33 military personnel. Since the attacks, the crossing has only been opened in exceptional cases, or to allow for humanitarian cases to pass.

Egyptian authorities have, for the most part, kept the Rafah border crossing shut down since July 2013. They launched a campaign to destroy the illegal, underground tunnels which have been vital in supplying Gaza residents with food, medicine, fuel and building materials.

Another method used by the Egyptian army is flooding the tunnels –  a method often condemned by the Hamas movement, the quasi ruler of the Gaza Strip.

Last Sunday, four Palestinian workers died when a tunnel was flooded between Gaza and Egypt. The incident was condemned by Hamas.

Source: Daily News Egypt