GAZA CITY: Egypt opened its border with Gaza Strip yesterday to allow the passage of Palestinians who wanted to perform Umrah and stranded people and patients, Palestinian security sources said.
The Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry in Gaza said the Rafah border crossing would remain partially open until late today.
Palestinians stranded at the Egyptian side were also able to cross to Gaza. Except for occasional exceptions for humanitarian reasons, Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing closed since Hamas took over control of the Gaza Strip last year.
About 600 people registered for Umrah were allowed to cross into Egypt yesterday along with patients and holders of Arab and foreign passports. Today, the crossing would be open for students traveling into Egypt.
According to a US-brokered protocol, the Rafah crossing cannot operate without the presence of security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and European Union monitors.
The pro-Abbas forces lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas last year and the EU, which does not recognize Hamas, withdrew its monitors from Rafah. Hamas also doesn’t recognize the 2005 international protocol on Rafah.
