Egyptian authorities on Monday exceptionally opened the Rafah border crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip to allow Palestinian pilgrims to fly to Saudi Arabia.
The terminal will remain open for four days to allow pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia Gaza’s crossing authority said in a statement.
Media chief of the crossing Wael Abu Omar said around 800 pilgrims are set to cross the terminal on Monday.
A total of 2500 pilgrims are expected to pass through the crossing during the four-day opening.
The Hajj – a major tenet of Islam to cleanse sins and bring worshipers closer to God – will start by the end of this month. More than two million pilgrims are expected to perform the ritual this year.
Blockaded by Israel — by air land and sea — since 2007 the Gaza Strip has been grappling with a tough blockade leaving thousands of sick civilians and humanitarian cases stranded in the world’s largest “open air prison.”
