Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing for two days

Egypt will reopen the blocked Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip Sunday and Monday in both directions, official news agency MENA reported Saturday.

The crossing will also be opened to allow stranded Palestinians and humanitarian aid into the enclave, MENA said.

The terminal, the only window for some 1.8 million Palestinians to the outside world, was closed Oct 25 when Egypt declared a state of emergency in the neighbouring Sinai Peninsula following a deadly bombing attack there that killed over 30 Egyptian soldiers, Xinhua reported.

Since the ouster of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last year, the Egyptian government partly reopens the Rafah crossing for humanitarian cases, allowing the entry only of medical patients, students in foreign countries and holders of foreign visas and passports.

Cairo accuses Gaza's ruling Hamas group, an offshoot of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, of interfering in Egypt's internal affairs and aiding militants targeting the Egyptian army in Sinai.

Gaza has two other crossings with Israel, but these are subject to strict restrictions since Hamas's violent takeover of the seaside territory in 2007.