EGYPT TO OPEN RAFAH CROSSING FOR 3 DAYS STARTING TUESDAY

Cairo, 27 Rabi’ul Awwal 1436/18 January 2015 (MINA) – Egypt has decided to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in both directions for three days starting Tuesday, the Embassy of Palestine in Cairo said Sunday (18/1).

The embassy said that the decision came at the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his recent visit to Cairo. Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The crossing has been closed almost completely save for a few days since it was closed in October after an attack on Egyptian police by militants in Sinai.

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The Palestinian Ministry of Internal Affairs says over 25,000 humanitarian cases are on a waiting list to use the crossing for medical treatment and to continue their studies abroad.

During the first six months of the year when the crossing was almost entirely open except for 22 days, an average of 6,400 people crossed each month, according to the UN.

The jointly enforced Israeli Egyptian blockade on the tiny territory has led to frequent humanitarian crises and armed conflicts with Israel, and is currently limiting the entry of construction material for the devastated Strip’s post-war reconstruction, promised by the international community.

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The Rafah crossing has been the principal connection between Gaza’s 1.8 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade by Israeli authorities beginning in 2006-7. (T/P006/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)