Egypt to temporarily reopen Gaza border crossing

EL-ARISH, Egypt – Egyptian officials say authorities will temporarily reopen the country’s border crossing with the Gaza Strip for the first time since the Islamic militant group Hamas ceded control of its side of the crossings to the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

The officials say the Rafah crossing will be open for three days, starting on Saturday, for humanitarian reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters.

Last month, Hamas handed over control of Gaza’s crossings with Israel and Egypt to the Palestinian Authority as a step toward implementing a reconciliation deal with the rival Fatah movement.

Rafah is Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world. Egypt has kept Rafah largely sealed off since 2013, after the ouster of Egypt’s elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.