Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing terminal this week

Sunday June 01, 2008 09:16 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

The Egyptian authorities decided yesterday to reopen the Rafah crossing terminal on Egypt-Gaza border line in southern Gaza Strip for three days this week for humanitarian purposes.

Egyptian security guards on Gaza-Egypt border line

Palestinian sources at the Palestinian embassy in Cairo confirmed that the crossing will be opened this week to allow entry of Gaza patients , in need of medical care outside of Gaza, university students abroad and those with expired visit visas.

The third day will be dedicated for Egyptian citizens who have been stranded in Gaza since January of this year, when Gaza crowds flew into Egypt amidst a crippling Israeli siege , to bring in essential supplies.

However, the sources maintained, the Egyptian authorities did not set the opening days, as on Sunday, tens of Gaza patients who completed treatment in Cairo, will be allowed back to Gaza.

Spokesman of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza, Ayman Taha, denied Sunday upcoming reopening of the Rafah crossing terminal.

Last month , Cairo allowed few hundred Palestinians to enter the Egyptian territories after reopening the Rafah crossing terminal for three days.

Since June of last year, the Egyptian authorities used to reopen the terminal very rarely to allow patients and pilgrims in and out of Gaza.

Currently, Cairo has been mediating a ceasefire deal between Palestinians and Israel for the sake of ending the ongoing Israeli siege and stopping the homemade shells fire from Gaza onto nearby Israeli towns.

In June2007, Israel closed the Gaza Strip's border crossings after the Islamist Hamas party took over control there, as Cairo ordered the closure of the Rafah crossing terminal after departure of European observers due to the Hamas's seizure of Gaza.

gaza strip | miscellaneous | news report rami at imemc dot org