GAZA, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Egyptian authorities have opened the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for two days to allow people to return to the Palestinian enclave, national radio said on Wednesday.
Patients and people who have been receiving medical treatment in Egypt and abroad, deportees from Egypt and those returning from the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will be among those allowed to cross the border.
According to Al Quds radio station, the crossing is only open to those wishing to enter the Gaza Strip and not leave. The last time the border was opened was August 15 when more than 2,000 Palestinian pilgrims crossed on their way to Mecca.
The Gaza Strip has been subject to an Israeli blockade since the radical Islamist Hamas group came to power more than two years ago. Its 1.5 million residents suffer from severe shortages of medicine, food and fuel.
The Egyptian authorities occasionally open the country's border for certain categories of Palestinians and foreigners. Forty four Russians were allowed to leave Gaza around a month ago following Russian diplomatic efforts in Egypt.
