Egypt opens Rafah border crossing for the first time in monhs

Egypt reopened its border with the Gaza Strip in both directions on Thursday for the first time in months.

Thousands of Palestinians are lining up at the Rafah crossing in hopes of leaving the isolated enclave. Gaza's borders are largely sealed by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade.

It's unclear if the two-day opening is tied to an agreement the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank reached with Egypt last month to reopen the border crossing.

The deal bypassed the authority of the militant Islamic movement Hamas, which seized control of Gaza from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in 2007.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry says this year, the Rafah crossing worked in two directions for intermittent 19 days.

At best, 500 people can exit Gaza through Rafah daily.