Palestinians in the Gaza Strip complain they are effectively imprisoned in their tiny territory when their border crossings are closed. Palestinians cannot enter or exit Gaza unless they have permission from either Israel or Egypt. In the past few years, Gaza's borders have often remained closed for weeks at a time. But on Monday the crossing point between Gaza and Egypt is open.The three-day opening will still be limited to "Palestinians with travel plans and visas for foreign countries... along with patients in need of medical care," according to Haaretz.
The decision came as international activists and groups converged on the Rafah crossing and demanded Egypt open it up to help alleviate the suffering of the blockaded people. Egypt allowed in 86 of the international protesters. It has recently caught criticism for building an underground wall aimed at blocking the smuggling tunnels used to bring goods in and out of Gaza.
Listen to the NPR report.
