June 16, 2015. The Egyptian authorities have decided to extend the operation of the Rafah crossing, which was supposed to close yesterday, until Thursday. The crossing is open for Palestinians to cross into Gaza from Egypt and for exit from Gaza to Egypt for those who fall under the approved categories: patients with referrals to Egyptian hospitals, students, and foreign residency and foreign passport holders.
Rafah Crossing opened on Saturday, after being closed since May 26. It had opened then for two days and only in one direction, for those traveling from Egypt to Gaza. The last time Rafah was opened for the exit of people from Gaza to Egypt was on March 9-10, 2015, during which 1,010 people exited, a mere 7% of those who had signed up to travel from Gaza.
Meanwhile, 25 students exited Gaza today through the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing in order to reach universities abroad. Since December, 2014, 145 students have traveled via Erez Crossing.