Egypt initially closed the border in mid-March in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Following the reopening, Hamas authorities deployed members of its security forces into the city centers to provide passenger buses carrying medical patients and allow the exit of foreign and Egyptian passport holders and students.
"The terminal will be open in both directions for four days until Thursday," Egyptian authorities said in a statement, adding that travelers followed coronavirus protocols in the process of transferring to and from the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian Health Ministry noted that those returning to Gaza are required to present coronavirus testing results in order to enter the Strip. The brief reopening comes a month after the crossing was last opened in late September for three days, when 2,659 passengers left Gaza and 819 entered the Strip, subject to quarantine.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has been of particular concern for the spread of the coronavirus due to its high population density, poor medical infrastructure, lack of sanitary conditions and frequent electricity shortages.