After days of closures, Rafah border open for travel

Following last Saturdays breach of the closed border gate, Egyptian, Hamas officials agree to reopen crossing and give those denied priority.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Rafah Crossing 465 3 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Rafah Crossing 465 3
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was open for travelers in both directions after countless closures this past week, CNN reported Wednesday.
Those who were denied entry in the last week will receive priority, an official announcement from the Palestinian border-control authority said.
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Last Saturday, dozens of angry Palestinians stormed the border gates after Egypt had delayed its opening by three hours. Palestinian border officials had said three buses with upward of 180 passengers waited several hours to cross the Rafah border.
Egyptian authorities had claimed that the delay was due to construction at the crossing, the only open border for Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
Then, just when Egypt reopened the border, Hamas kept it closed to Palestinians seeking to enter into the Sinai peninsula.
Egypt eased travel restrictions on Palestinians seeking to cross Rafah into Sinai in May, a move that showed Cairo's greater support for the Palestinians in post-Mubarak Egypt.