GAZA CITY
Egypt will exceptionally reopen the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip on Sunday for two days to allow Palestinian pilgrims to cross on route to Saudi Arabia, the Interior Ministry in Gaza said on Saturday.
"The crossing will be open for two consecutive days to allow the pilgrims to cross," Maher Abu Sabha, the head of Gaza's crossings and border authority, told Anadolu Agency.
He said that only pilgrims will be allowed to cross.
Abu Sabha said that as many as 8,000 Palestinians are awaiting to cross via the Rafah terminal.
Egypt reopened the border crossing for three days last Saturday after a 49-day closure.
Gazans complain that frequent border closures by Egypt, in conjunction with an eight-year-old Israeli embargo on the coastal enclave, have contributed to the strip's worsening economic and humanitarian circumstances.
Egypt has tightened its grip on its border with Gaza since last July, when the army ousted Mohamed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president.
Egyptian authorities accuse Hamas, which has governed the strip since 2007, of interfering in Egypt's domestic affairs and carrying out attacks inside the country – charges Hamas emphatically denies.
By Ola Attalah
englishnews@aa.com.tr
