AL-ARISH: Egypt opened its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a security official said, to allow Palestinians to return to the Hamas-ruled territory after receiving medical treatment.
The move came the day after a truce between Hamas and Israel was announced to begin on Thursday, including a loosening of Gaza’s border closures, but the “exceptional opening was one-way only for sick Gazans to return home.
Since Hamas seized power in Gaza a year ago, Israel has sealed the territory to all but very limited humanitarian assistance.
In a similar exceptional opening, Egyptian authorities allowed hundreds of sick Palestinians to cross into Egypt for treatment in May.
Between 300 and 400 Palestinians were expected to cross through Rafah, which was opened at 11 am, Palestinian liaison officer Hani Jabbur said.
Egyptian negotiators said on Tuesday that after months of negotiations they had secured the agreement of both Israel and Hamas for the initial stage of a truce aimed at breaking the cycle of violence in Gaza.
Hamas said that border crossings used to import goods into the impoverished territory would be opened hours after the truce comes into force at 0300 GMT on Thursday, and Israel would lift its blockade of Gaza within days.
Senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said that the truce deal envisaged further talks to pave the way for the reopening of Rafah, the only such crossing which bypasses Israel. -AFP
