Egypt opens Rafah crossing for return of Gazan pilgrims

By Hani al-Shaer and Hidayah al-Saidi

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Egyptian authorities on Sunday exceptionally opened the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip to allow Palestinian pilgrims to cross into the blockaded territory.

“The terminal was opened for one day to allow 500 pilgrims to return to the Gaza Strip,” Hisham Odwan, the director of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the terminal will be reopened again on Wednesday to allow more Palestinian pilgrims to return to Gaza.

The Palestinian embassy in Cairo earlier said the Rafah crossing will be open as of Wednesday for three days to allow more than 2,000 pilgrims to return to Gaza.

Fully blockaded by Israel since 2007, when Palestinian group Hamas wrested control of the territory, the Gaza Strip has seven border crossings linking it to the outside world.

Six of these are controlled by Israel, while the seventh -- at Rafah -- is controlled by Egypt, which has kept the border sealed for the most part since a 2013 military coup.