Egypt reopens border crossing with Gaza for three days

Egypt reopened Saturday the blocked Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for three days in both directions for the first time in three months, which is considered as a sign of improvement between Egypt and the Islamic Hamas movement.

Since the ouster of Egyptian Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, the Egyptian government has kept the crossing largely closed, while occasionally reopening it partly for humanitarian cases.

Cairo accused the Gaza-ruling Hamas group, an offshoot of the outlawed Muslim Brother organization, of interfering in Egypt's internal affairs and aiding militants targeting the Egyptian army in Sinai.

Meanwhile, the Crossings and Borders Corporation of the Interior Ministry of Hamas, which rules the coastal enclave, confirmed the opening of the crossing, saying that only patients, holders of foreign passports, students and some Palestinians with visas can cross the Gaza Strip into Egypt.

Maher Abu Sabha, director of the crossing on the Palestinian side, told reporters that up to 14,000 Gazans have applied to exit through Rafah, noting that, however, only 400 people can leave Gaza each day.

Last month, the Egyptian government reopened Rafah crossing for two days in one way to enable stranded Palestinians in Egypt to enter the coastal enclave.

The terminal is the only window to some 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza to the outside world, except two other crossings with Israel which are subject to strict restrictions since Hamas' violent takeover of the seaside territory in 2007.

Relations between Hamas and the new military-backed government of Egypt worsened to unprecedented levels after Hamas opposed the ouster of Morsi, a Hamas patron, in July 2013 following nationwide protests against his one-year rule.

However, an Egyptian appeal court canceled earlier this month a previous verdict labeling Hamas as a terror organization. Endit