Egypt decided to extend the opening of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in both directions for another two days for the upcoming Eid Al-Adha holiday after opening them for three days starting on Saturday, MENA agency reported on Tuesday.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi gave his orders to extend the opening to allow the crossing of Palestinian pilgrims heading to Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage and humanitarian reasons.

The Islamic pilgrimage will start next week. 

The opening was extended on Sunday for one day on Monday.

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Sinai is the only way for the 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza who have been living under Israeli siege since 2006 to enter and exit the strip.

The Egyptian government decided to close the crossing in October 2014 when an attack by Islamist militants in North Sinai left dozens of security personnel dead.

It opens the borders from time to time for short periods, often including major Islamic holidays.