Egypt to re-open Rafah crossing with besieged Gaza

Egypt will reopen the Rafah border crossing with the besieged Gaza Strip on Sunday after a days-long closure, the Palestinian embassy in Cairo announced.

The embassy said in a statement that the crossing will reopen on Thursday in one direction only to allow Gazans stranded in Egypt to return home and will resume operation as normal in both directions on Sunday.

Hundreds of Gazans were stranded in Egypt for several days following the sudden closure of the crossing on Monday.

Security sources on Monday confirmed the crossing would be closed until further notice, without offering details or saying why.

Egypt had ordered the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt - the enclave's only border point not controlled by Israel - to open in May to allow wounded Gazans to be treated in Egyptian hospitals and to deliver aid.

The opening came in the aftermath of the 11-day exchange of Hamas rocket fire and devastating Israeli airstrikes, which also pushed Egypt to pledge $500-million towards Gaza's reconstruction.

Egypt had brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which ended Israel's bombing of Gaza.

The Egyptian decision to close Rafah came after a weekend of Israeli shootings on Gaza's eastern frontier.