Egypt treats 25 Palestinians on 1st day of Rafah opening

CAIRO – 16 November 2017: Over 25 Palestinians crossed into the Egyptian territories from Gaza Strip on Wednesday to receive treatment at Egyptian hospitals, according to a source at the Rafah border crossing.

“Authorities have summoned ambulances to transport the patients to hospitals to receive the necessary treatment,” the source told Egypt Today, stating that the movement on both sides of the crossing is occurring smoothly.

Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing with Gaza for four days, starting from Saturday, in both directions, to allow the passage of stuck travelers.

The crossing has been opened within the framework of the efforts made by Egypt’s leadership, headed by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, to ease the burden on Palestinians, according to the statement.

In October, the rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo under Egypt’s auspices. The Palestinian National Authority is due to resume control of the Gaza Strip by December 1, as per the reconciliation agreement.