GAZA CITY
Egyptian authorities reopened the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday following eight days of closure, a Palestinian official said.
The terminal will be open for three days – in both directions – to passengers with humanitarian requirements and students, Maher Abu Sabha, head of Gaza's crossing and border authority, told Anadolu Agency.
Egyptian authorities have tightened their control over the border with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip since last July's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian army.
In recent weeks, Egypt has repeatedly closed the Rafah crossing, which – due to an ongoing, eight-year Israeli siege – represents Gaza's only window to the outside world.
The army has also launched a campaign aimed at destroying the network of tunnels linking Gaza to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which in recent years had been used to bring vital commodities into the besieged coastal enclave.
By Mustafa Haboosh
englishnews@aa.com.tr
