Egypt opens Gaza border crossing for Ramadan – president

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi has made a rare decision to open the Rafah crossing with Gaza for a month to allow Palestinians to cross during the holy period of Ramadan. The decision was taken “to alleviate the suffering” of residents in the Palestinian enclave, Sisi said on Facebook late on Thursday. The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world not controlled by Israel, and Egypt has largely sealed it in recent years, citing security threats. The crossing is usually open a few dozen days a year. Sisi’s announcement comes after some 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on the Gaza border earlier this week. Egypt has relations with both Israel and the Hamas movement in Gaza. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya was in Egypt on Sunday, where he met with the director of the country’s intelligence services Abbas Kamel, AFP reported.