Palestinians walk to the Rafah border on the Egyptian side to cross over to Gaza at Rafah city, some 350 km (217 miles) northeast of Cairo August 10, 2012. (Photo: AP)
A Gaza official says Egypt is opening its Rafah border crossing with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for three days ahead of Eid holiday this weekend.
Maher Abu Sabha, the general director of crossing and borders in the besieged Gaza Strip, says the crossing will open to traffic in both directions later on Tuesday.
Egypt closed the passage last week, after unidentified assailants in Egypt's Sinai desert near Gaza killed 16 Egyptian troops.
Egypt has suggested the assailants had help from Gaza, a claim Hamas vehemently denies.
Hamas and Egypt's president, Mohammed Morsi, belong to the same region-wide Muslim Brotherhood.
Gaza Interior Minister Fathi Hamad demanded a full reopening of the crossing, saying that while Gaza suffered under Morsi's predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, it should not be made to suffer now.
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