El-Arish, EGYPT – Egypt opened its border with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday for Palestinians needing to leave the territory, a security official told AFP.

"The Rafah border crossing will be open for two days," the official said.

"It will be open for sick and injured Palestinians, humanitarian cases, and for those with visas for Egypt or other countries and those working or studying in Egypt and abroad," he said, adding that Egypt had set no limit for the number of Palestinians crossing.

On June 18, Egypt opened its Gaza border one way for one day to allow Palestinians to return to the Hamas-ruled territory after receiving medical treatment.

Since Hamas seized power in Gaza a year ago, Israel has sealed the territory to all but very limited humanitarian assistance.

In a similar exceptional opening, Egyptian authorities allowed hundreds of sick Palestinians to cross into Egypt for treatment in May.

As part of a Gaza truce agreement between Israel and Hamas that came into force on June 19, the Islamists have been seeking the permanent reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Gaza’s only one that bypasses the Jewish state.

But any reopening has been left dependent on the outcome of talks between Hamas, the Palestinian leadership and the European Union, which monitored the crossing on Israel’s behalf before the Islamist takeover of Gaza.

In January, Gaza militants blew open large sections of the border fence, sending hundreds of thousands of Palestinians pouring into Egypt to stock up on basic goods before it was resealed a few days later.
 
(AFP via Alarabiya)