Egypt opens Rafah crossing at Gaza border for three days

Egypt opened its border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday for a scheduled three-day period, state-run newspapers reported.

Palestinians with travel plans and visas for foreign countries would be allowed out, along with patients in need of medical care, Al-Ahram daily said, dpa reported.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip has generally been closed since 2007, when infighting between Palestinian factions raged, culminating in the Islamist Hamas movement taking over the territory.

Most recently, on December 23, Egypt opened the border for several hundred patients.

Gaza's only other crossing points lie along its border with Israel, which imposes a tight blockade on the territory.

Egypt's border with the Palestinian territory has been the source of protests recently, as hundreds of international activists marched on Rafah, demanding the authorities open the crossing point.

The Egyptian government eventually allowed 86 members of the group entry into Gaza.

Cairo has also come under increasing criticism for reportedly strengthening a wall along the border, with Palestinians concerned it might affect underground smuggling tunnels used to bring in basic supplies, such as food, but also weapons.