Cairo opens Rafah border crossing with Gaza

"The Rafah border crossing will remain open for four days, starting from Wednesday and ending on Saturday, for the travel and return of Palestine citizens in both directions," the statement said.

Egypt will open the Rafah border crossing for the second time in 2018.

It was opened for three days from Feb 7 during which Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh crossed the border to travel to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials.

Egypt opens the crossing for a few days every month for stranded travellers, including Palestinian patients seeking overseas treatment, students studying abroad, people with work permits, people with relatives outside Gaza and Palestinians with foreign passports.

The Gaza Strip has three major border crossings linking it to the outside world. Israel controls two of them , one for the movement of people, and another for commercial activities.

Egypt controls the Rafah border crossing.

The seaside enclave has been besieged by Israel since 2007, after Hamas won the parliamentary elections a year earlier by routing forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority and seized control of the territory.