Egypt Reopens Rafah Crossing to Gaza
After nine-day closure, Egypt reopens Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip. Some 300 Palestinians expected to cross from strip to Egypt on Saturday
Maher Abu Sabha, director general of Gaza's only land passage bypassing Israel, said he expected 300 Palestinians to cross from the territory into Egypt by the end of the day.
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Since a July 3 army coup ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Hamas-allied Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian authorities have repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing as the military seeks to cleanse the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Gaza, of Islamist militants.
Hamas officials have complained that Egypt has limited the number of passengers from 1,200 a day to only 300 since July 3 when the Egyptian military dismissed Morsi, following mass protests against his rule.
Egyptian officials have accused Hamas of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood in the Sinai peninsula and say the slow operation of Rafah crossing is linked to poor security conditions in the Sinai, where Egypt is fighting radical Islamist militants.
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