Rafah crossing reopened for 4 days

Egyptian authorities this morning opened the rafah crossing between Egypt and the besieged Gaza Strip in both directions to permit the crossing of humanitarian cases.

According to a spokesman for the Palestinian side of the crossing, Wael Abu Muhsin, the crossing will remain open for four consecutive days.

Departure from the Gaza Strip, he added, would be prioritised in accordance with lists prepared by the Ministry of Interior in Gaza.

The Rafah crossing was also opened on Saturday for two consecutive days to allow passage for humanitarian cases and “stranded people”.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) said in a statement on Sunday that 783 Gazans were able to leave the coastal enclave via the crossing since it opened on Saturday morning.

Among those were 11 patients who were transported in ambulances for medical treatment abroad.

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