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Egypt Opens Border With Gaza for Just Two Days

  • People ask for travel permits to cross into Egypt through the Rafah border, Gaza, May 11, 2016.

    People ask for travel permits to cross into Egypt through the Rafah border, Gaza, May 11, 2016. | Photo: Reuters

Published 11 May 2016
Opinion

The rare opening has seen thousands of Gazans attempt to cross into Egypt.

Egypt has opened the Rafah border with Gaza for two days, after a request from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. More than 25,000 Palestinians have requested travel permits, many for medical needs.

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The Rafah border, the only crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is open for the first time in 87 days. Both Egypt and Palestine intend to allow the safe passage of medical patients, humanitarian cases and those possessing resident permits. Some Palestinians have been waiting for almost two years for the rare opening, Eurasia Review reported Wednesday.

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Only 765 Palestinians out of 30,000 who registered, were given approval to cross into Egypt, according to Palestinian authorities on Saturday. Around 3,500 people reportedly need to travel for medical purposes.

Gazans with authorized passage will travel by escort to Cairo Airport and then fly to other destinations. Those residing in Egypt will not be given an escort.

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The Rafah border was closed after 33 people were killed and 26 injured when a car full of explosives blew up the Karam al-Qawadis checkpoint on Oct. 24, 2014. The border has since only been opened occasionally for humanitarian and aid purposes.

Israel have enforced restrictive blockade measures on Gaza since 2007 after Hamas won popular elections in 2006. It has made trade and the import of essential materials difficult for Gazans.

Israel imposed a blockade on building materials entering Gaza two weeks ago, and has done so on and off for years, leaving thousands of Gazans homeless as a result of its ongoing occupation. However, the restriction was recently lifted as a result of Turkish pressure on Israel.

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