Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday for the first time in a month to allow Palestinians to return to the Gaza Strip, reports Reuters referring to border officials.
However, the frontier remained closed in the other direction, making it impossible for the vast majority of Gazans to leave the densely populated Mediterranean enclave.The Rafah crossing was shut on Oct. 25 after Islamist militants in Egypt's adjacent Sinai region killed 33 members of the security forces in some of the worst anti-state violence since Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was toppled in July 2013.The month-long closure marooned around 6,000 Palestinians in Egypt and third countries, while around a thousand people in Gaza are desperate to get out for medical treatment in Egypt, officials in Islamist-ruled Gaza say.Egyptian state television said outbound traffic would be allowed from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. (0500-0900 ET) on Wednesday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (0000-0900 ET) on Thursday.The border remained closed in the other direction, making it impossible for the Gazans to leave the enclave.
The Rafah crossing was shut on October 25 after Islamist militants in Egypt's adjacent Sinai region killed 33 members of the security forces.
The month-long closure marooned around 6,000 Palestinians in Egypt and third countries, while around a thousand people in Gaza are desperate to get out for medical treatment in Egypt, officials in Islamist-ruled Gaza say, writes Reuters.
Egyptian state television said outbound traffic would be allowed from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday.
