Egypt on Wednesday opened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip to allow Palestinian medical patients to cross in and out of the territory, police said. The border would remain open to patients until Thursday, to allow those who have completed their treatment at Egyptian hospitals to return to Gaza, and to allow patients from the Gaza Strip to be treated in Egyptian hospitals. With brief exceptions, the border crossing at the divided town of Rafah has been closed since 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza's security forces, prompting Israel and Egypt to blockade the territory.