Al-Arish, May 16, (dpa/GNA) – Egypt on Sunday reopened the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for traffic coming in one direction from the Palestinian enclave, as an intense exchange of fire and attacks took place between Israel and Hamas.
The facility, Gaza’s only key crossing point to the outside world, was closed during the Muslim Eid holiday, which started on Thursday.
The reopening will allow the entry of stranded Palestinians and patients into Egypt, a Palestinian official said.
“So far, no people injured in the Israeli bombardment in Gaza have entered,” Kamal al-Khatib, a representative of the Palestinian embassy in Egypt, told dpa.
“Nor has any ambulance from the Egyptian side entered into Gaza to transfer the injured,” he added.
An Egyptian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the crossing reopened Sunday at 11 am (0900 GMT) in one direction from Gaza.
“The crossing is operating at half of its usual staff capacity as today is still an official holiday marking Eid al-Fitr,” the official added.
However, Egyptian media reported that authorities decided to “exceptionally” reopen the crossing to allow entry of the injured Palestinians from Gaza for treatment at Egyptian hospitals.
The crossing was originally due to reopen Monday after the end of the holiday.
GNA