Egyptian authorities will open Sinai's Rafah border crossing with Gaza for three days starting Thursday, according to the embassy of Palestine in Cairo, official Palestinian news agency WAFA announced on Wednesday. The crossing will be open in both directions from 12 to 14 April. WAFA quoted Palestine's ambassador to Cairo and its permanent representative to the Arab League Diab Al-Louhah as thanking Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian authorities for their support of the Palestinian people and their cause. The North Sinai border crossing is the main gateway to the outside world for 1.8 million Palestinians living in Israeli-besieged Gaza, as it is the only terminal not controlled by Israel. Egypt has largely kept the border closed in recent years due to security concerns following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, but periodically opens the crossing for humanitarian purposes. Gaza, a small, impoverished coastal enclave, has been under Israeli blockade since 2006.
