Egypt reopens Rafah border crossing with Gaza

Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza

According to the statement of Gaza’s government Egypt reopened Rafah border crossing with Gaza this Saturday after it was closed during almost the whole month.

Rafah border crossing remains a lifeline and the only one way for Gazans to the outside world. Nearly 800 people crossed the border in Rafah every day.

After deadly assault along the border between Egypt, Israel and Gaza which took place on 5 August and left 16 Egyptian soldiers dead, Egyptian authorities ruled to close Rafah border crossing. There were suspicions that the terrorists infiltrated Egyptian Sinai from Gaza using the network of underground tunnels. The tunnels were demolished by Egypt’s security forces, and the border crossing was also closed, leaving the Gaza inhabitants completely cut from the outside world.

This situation significantly worsened the relationships between Egypt and Gaza’s Islamist government.

Egypt said it will reopen Rafah border crossing temporarily before Eid Al-Fitr. The border was opened for three days mainly to permit travel for humanitarian purposes.

Gaza authorities reported Egyptian side informed them on Saturday that Rafah crossing would be opened all days of the week. This move could signal the steps forward and improving of the relations between Egyptian new government led by Islamist President Mohamed Morsy and Gaza’s Hamas authority.