Egypt will open its border with Gaza at the Rafah crossing three days a month, the Gaza Director of borders and crossings Ghazi Hamas told IRIN news. The crossing was last opened June 25-27 to allow Gaza patients in need of emergency care, students, and foreign visa holders to exit. Rafah has been almost completely closed since the Hamas terror group’s violent Gaza take over in June 2007.

During the recent opening, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh visited the crossing and announced his administration's willingness to operate it according to procedures agreed with the Egyptian authorities, the European Union (EU), Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's presidential guard under.