24 Palestinians stranded at Egyptian airports to return to Gaza

CAIRO – 25 April 2018: The Egyptian authorities allowed 24 Palestinian citizens stranded at the Cairo and Borg El Arab international airports to return to the Gaza Strip via three vehicles, Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Loh stated on Wednesday.

Loh asserted that the Egyptian and Palestinian authorities are conducting ongoing efforts to open the Rafah border crossing from both directions in order for Palestinians stranded in Cairo to return.

Loh hailed the Egyptian authorities for their constant keenness to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people and solve the problem of those stranded in Cairo.

The Palestinian embassy in Egypt opened the Rafah crossing in both directions for three days from April 12-14.

Egypt’s government usually opens the Rafah crossing for humanitarian cases for several days in a row, providing all the needed aid to the Palestinian people and allowing them to cross.

The Rafah border crossing is one of the most important crossings between Egypt and Gaza, which was formally under the Gazan authorities’ control.

This crossing is mainly specialized for individual movements across borders and was being prepared for the transfer of goods between the two countries. The Rafah crossing's importance was highlighted after Israeli forces destroyed Yasser Arafat International Airport in 2001, which was the only airport in Gaza allowing Palestinians to travel.