CAIRO, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian authorities have decided to open the Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian Gaza Strip for three days starting from Thursday, the Palestinian embassy in Cairo said in a statement Wednesday.
Egypt reopens the crossing in both directions for a few days every month or two for stranded travellers, including Palestinian patients seeking overseas treatment, students studying abroad, people with work permits or residents in other countries, people with relatives outside Gaza and Palestinians with foreign passports.
In Wednesday's statement, Palestinian Ambassador to Cairo Diab al-Louh praised Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and the Egyptian authorities for their keenness on relieving the sufferings of the Palestinian people.
Egypt's opening of the crossing point is based on the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula where the country is launching a war against Islamic State terrorists.
Controlled by Egypt, the Rafah crossing is currently the only link between the Gaza Strip and the outside world, since another two crossings are controlled by Israel.
The seaside enclave has been besieged by Israel since 2007, after Islamic Hamas movement, which overwhelmingly won the parliamentary elections a year earlier, routed forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority and seized control of the territory by force.
Gaza borders with Israel have been witnessing massive rallies of Palestinian protesters, known as "the Great March of Return," during which about 30 protesters have been killed and more than 3,000 others wounded by Israeli forces since the protests started late March.
