Egypt reopens Gaza crossing for 3 days

By Mohamed al-Rayes

CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian authorities on Wednesday reopened the Rafah border crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip for three days, according to the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo.

In a statement, the embassy said the terminal will remain open until Friday to allow stranded Palestinians to cross in both directions.

Egyptian authorities have yet to confirm the reopening.

Blockaded by Israel -- by air, land and sea -- since 2007, the Gaza Strip has seven border crossings linking it to the outside world.

Six of these are controlled by Israel, while the seventh -- the Rafah crossing -- is controlled by Egypt, which keeps it tightly sealed for the most part since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 military coup.

Israel sealed four of its commercial crossings with Gaza in June 2007 after Palestinian group Hamas wrested control of the strip from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.