The Rafah border crossing. Photo: Wikipedia.

Egypt has decided to open its border with Gaza for two days, the Saudi-funded Islamist TV network Al Resalah reported on Wednesday.

This, according to the report, is to allow the Palestinians who have been stranded in the country since the closing of the Rafah border crossing last year to return to Gaza, and to enable Gazans to enter Egypt for humanitarian purposes.

An Egyptian official said the Rafah crossing would open on Thursday and remain open for 48 hours. He explained that the only people allowed to take advantage of this window would be those whose travel documents were registered with the Interior Ministry by 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing closed for nearly a year, opening it temporarily for only 19 intermittent days. The closure occurred after 30 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a cross-border terrorist attack originating in Gaza.