More than 1,300 people moved through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian Gaza Strip in both directions since it was temporarily opened by Egypt on Saturday, according to an official source.
Movement through the crossing, which was opened for two days, continued until early Sunday, according to the source.
Twenty-four trucks carrying 2,265 tons of cement needed for reconstruction work at the strip also passed through the crossing.
The crossing has been closed since an attack on an Egyptian army facility in North Sinai in October 2014 that killed at least 30 soldiers, but it was occasionally opened for humanitarian reasons, as determined by Egyptian authorities.
Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, has pleaded with Egypt to permanently open the crossing, the only breathing hole for the enclave’s population of nearly two million.
Hamas has accused Egypt of contributing to the Israeli blockade on the strip. Egypt, on the other hand, cites security considerations for its restrictions on movement across the border.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
