Rafah crossing to be opened for return of pilgrims

Egyptian authorities announced yesterday that the Rafah crossing would be open for four days to allow for the return of Palestinians on the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, the Gaza Strip Crossings Committee said it had been informed by Egyptian authorities that the crossing would be open today, tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday.

The committee added that humanitarian cases inside the Gaza Strip or stranded on the Egyptian side would not be permitted to enter or leave the besieged enclave during these days.

Palestinians in Gaza must receive permission from the Egyptian government to go on the Hajj pilgrimage as the airport in Cairo is the only avenue Gazans have to travel abroad.

Egypt has upheld an Israeli military blockade on the Gaza Strip for the majority of the past three years, since the ouster of the first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and the rise to power of Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.