Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt partially reopened Thursday for the first time since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, allowing a small number of Palestinian patients to leave the devastated enclave and stranded travelers to return.
Rafah crossing partially reopens after weeks of closure
Palestinian police officers guard the border between Rafa refugee camp, and Egypt, Thursday Aug. 24, 2006.
-
Copyright © africanews
KHALIL HAMRA/AP
An Egyptian Red Crescent official, speaking anonymously to AFP, confirmed the crossing was open in both directions for "limited movement."
A Palestinian official from the border crossings committee reported that eight wounded Palestinians and 17 companions had crossed into Egypt.
Al-Qahera News aired images of patients treated in Egypt preparing to re-enter Gaza, with ambulances waiting to receive new arrivals.
A lifeline for the sick and injured
For many ill and injured Gazans, Rafah represents a crucial route to medical care in Egypt and one of the few means for separated families to reunite.
The crossing was seized by Israeli forces nearly two years ago during the war with Hamas.
It briefly reopened on February 2 but shut again on February 28 after Israel closed all crossings following strikes on Iran.
Reopening amid heightened security
COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, confirmed the reopening without details, noting travelers entering Gaza would undergo additional screening.
The EU's border assistance mission, redeployed to Rafah in early February, is monitoring the process. Daily caps limit entry to 50 patients with two companions each.