Egypt Allows Gazans To Return Home Through Border For Three Days

A Palestinian man covers his mouth with a sticker which in Arabic reads "April 29 is the day the Palestinian people marched to the Shijaiyah neighborhood," during a protest organized by the Palestinian Youth Organiza... A Palestinian man covers his mouth with a sticker which in Arabic reads "April 29 is the day the Palestinian people marched to the Shijaiyah neighborhood," during a protest organized by the Palestinian Youth Organization calling for an end to political division, the reopening of the Rafah crossing border and reconstruction of destroyed houses that were damaged in last summer's Israel-Hamas war, in Gaza City , in the northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) MORE LESS
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RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Egypt has opened its border with the Gaza Strip to allow stranded Palestinians to return home.

Tuesday’s opening was the first time the Rafah border crossing has operated since March. The director of the Hamas-controlled side of the crossing, Maher Abu Sabha, says the border is scheduled to close again Wednesday afternoon.

The crossing has only been open five days this year to allow movement of Palestinians in both directions. The one-direction opening reflects the deepening hostility between Gaza’s Hamas rulers and Egypt. Cairo considers Hamas an extension of the pan-Arab Muslim Brotherhood movement, which it considers a terrorist group.

Abu Sabha called on Egypt to fully open the crossing, saying 15,000 people are waiting to depart from Gaza, including 3,000 medical patients.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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