Rafah crossing to open this weekend

Egyptian authorities today decided to open the Rafah crossing on both sides on Saturday and Sunday.

The crossings department at the ministry of interior in Gaza said in a statement that officials were informed by the Egyptian side of the crossing that it would be open on Saturday and Sunday for humanitarian cases and “stranded people.”

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

While the Egyptian border has remained the main lifeline for Gazans to the outside world, Egyptian authorities have slowly sealed off movement through the border since Morsi was toppled by the Egyptian army.