Egypt opens Rafah crossing for return of Gazan pilgrims

GAZA CITY, PALESTINE

Egyptian authorities opened Friday the Rafah border crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip for the return of Palestinian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, according to a statement by Palestinian border officials.

The statement said that the terminal will be open from Monday until Thursday next week to allow Palestinian pilgrims coming from Cairo Airport to return to Gaza.

Only returning pilgrims will be allowed to cross the border, the statement added.

Israel and Egypt have blockaded the Gaza Strip by air, land and sea since 2007.

The Gaza Strip has seven border crossings linking it to the outside world. Six of these are controlled by Israel, while the seventh -- the Rafah crossing -- is controlled by Egypt, which has kept it tightly sealed for the most part since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, in a 2013 military coup.

*Reporting by Said Ibicioglu; Writing by Nilay Kar