Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing at the border with the Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip for humanitarian cases for two days, security sources said on Wednesday.

A number of trucks carrying humanitarian relief materials and more than 100 Palestinians stranded in Egypt have crossed into the Palestinian enclave, the sources said.

Mohamed Arafat, Palestinian embassy's official at Rafah terminal, told the Egyptian MENA news agency that Palestinian patients received treatment at Egyptian hospitals and other humanitarian cases will be allowed to enter Gaza.

"Holders of foreign passports and those carrying residence permits in Egypt, students studying outside the Palestinian territories and humanitarian cases will cross into Egypt," said Arafat.

Egypt and Israel maintained the closure of their crossing points with Gaza in 2007 since Hamas seized control of the territory by force after defeating the rival Fatah troops under Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt opened Rafah from time to time, particularly during the recent 22-day Israeli attacks on Gaza, for humanitarian cases.

Rafah land crossing, the only land terminal bypassing Israel, was last reopened on February 22-24.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2009)