RAFAH, November 19, 2017 (WAFA) – For the second consecutive day, Egyptian authorities continued to open the Rafah border crossing, on the border with the Gaza Strip, to allow movement of humanitarian cases into and out of the besieged Palestinian territory.

Egypt had earlier decided to open the crossing for three days, starting Saturday, to whom it said were humanitarian cases that include students, holders of residency permits in other countries and for patients seeking treatment outside Gaza.

Saleh Zaq, head of the administrative committee of the Civil Affairs Commission in Gaza, said 652 passengers, including 102 children and patients, left the Gaza Strip on the first day of the opening of the border crossing, while more than 600 people were admitted in Gaza through the crossing.

The crossing was supposed to open around the clock as of November 15, as per the Fatah-Hamas recent reconciliation agreement. However, due to special circumstances in Egypt and the Sinai in particular, the opening was delayed.

Constant reopening of the crossing is also contingent on the presence of a European Union crew as required in the 2005 movement and access agreement.

The border crossing, the only gate for Gaza to the outside world, has been shutdown most of the year since 2007 and is opened for few days every two or three months. Egypt claimed problems with armed groups in Sinai is the reason for keeping the border with Gaza closed.

M.N/M.H