28-03-2024 10:33 PM Jerusalem Timing

Egypt Reopens Rafah Crossing Wednesday, Thursday

Egypt Reopens Rafah Crossing Wednesday, Thursday

Egypt on Wednesday opened the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for the first time since its closure in late October after a bombing in the Sinai Peninsula, officials said.

Egypt on Wednesday opened the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for the first time since its closure in late October after a bombing in the Sinai Peninsula, officials said.

The crossing, which is the only access point to the Palestinian territory not controlled by the Israeli occupation authorities, will open for four hours on both Wednesday and Thursday, a government official said.

"The crossing is being opened for two days to help traffic mainly from Egypt to Gaza," the official said, suggesting that for now the reopening was only temporary.

The United Nations says more than 3,500 Palestinians have been stranded on the Egyptian side since the crossing was closed after a suicide attack killed 30 soldiers in the North Sinai on October 24.

The attack, in an agricultural area northwest of provincial capital El-Arish, was the deadliest assault on Egyptian security forces since the latest unrest in Egypt which was sparked by the overthrow of Mohammad Mursi.

The closure of the crossing has also prevented thousands of Gazans from accessing higher education or medical treatment, especially following the brutal offensive by the Zionist entity against the besieged strip last July and August.