Egypt opens Gaza border for Eid al-Fitr period

Rafah, Egypt (Earth Times - dpa) - Egypt opened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday for three days, Egyptian security officials told the German Press Agency dpa. The decision will allow "humanitarian cases" such as the ill or children separated from their families to cross, they said.

Egypt opened the border after coordinating with the Palestinian movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, for Eid al-Fitr, a three-day feast to start next Sunday, following the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The move also follows a contentious meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak on Sunday.

In that meeting, Mubarak told the Israeli prime minister that Israel must stop all expansion of settlements in the West Bank, a move which Netanyahu has so far refused.

With brief exceptions, the Egyptian-Gazan border has been closed since Hamas security forces wrested control of the territory from Fatah security forces in 2007.