Egypt partially reopens Rafah border crossing with Gaza

Egypt has partially reopened the Rafah border crossing to allow stranded Palestinians to return home after keeping it shut for several days.

The Gaza Interior Ministry controlled by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas announced on late Wednesday that Rafah would be open to incoming traffic on Thursday and to two-way traffic on Sunday.

Rafah, Gaza's only gateway to the outside world was shuttered on Monday by Egypt, which declined to provide details or reasons for the move.

Some media reports quoting sources said that Monday’s closure was made for the so-called “security reasons” following an escalation between the illegal Zionist entity and Palestinians at the weekend, with Israeli aircraft striking sites in eastern Gaza. Israeli regime warplanes bombed positions in the Gaza Strip after shelling the besieged enclave and wounding at least 41 Palestinians, including two critically.

Tensions have also spiked on the fence between the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied territories in recent weeks over the Israeli regime’s hampering of efforts to reconstruct the strip following its latest war on Gaza.

More than a dozen Palestinians were injured on Wednesday by Israeli forces along the fence, where Palestinians gathered to demonstrate against the regime’s blockade of the coastal enclave.

Also during Saturday’s demonstrations, more than 40 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire, including a 13-year-old youth who was shot in the head. A 32-year-old Palestinian man also later died of gunshot wounds he sustained

SS