2 trucks of goods enter Gaza as Egypt opens Rafah crossing

Palestinians wait in line to cross the Rafah gate to Egypt following the opening of the border in Gaza City, Gaza on 23 March 2018 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]

The Rafah crossing between Egypt and the besieged Gaza Strip has been opened in both directions for two days starting today.

Patients in need of medical care, students and those who wish to travel abroad will be allowed through the crossing.

Several buses carried travellers through the crossing today.

Two truckloads of goods were also allowed in to the enclave.

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The Rafah crossing has been crossed almost entirely since the 2013 military coup in Egypt when military strongman Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi took control of the country and joined the Israeli-led siege on the Gaza Strip.

In 2017, the Rafah crossing was opened for only 35 days, with nearly 35,000 humanitarian cases registered with the Egyptian interior ministry.

Rafah crossing and the other crossings in Gaza were handed over to the Palestinian Authority (PA) following the latest reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas under the auspices of the Egyptian intelligence.

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