Egyptian authorities opened Saturday Rafah border crossing with Gaza Strip, allowing people to move in both directions for three days.
Trucks carrying some goods and fuel will be allowed into Gaza's power plant, which has been out of service for weeks now.
Palestinians from both directions passed, and the first group of Palestinians passed from Rafah crossing in northern Sinai into Egyptian territory after travel procedures were finished.
Several buses, carrying hundreds of passengers, left Gaza Strip on Saturday, including a bus for Egyptian passport holders, along with several ambulances carrying patients who have been waiting for months to allow them to leave the Strip for treatment in Egypt.
The opening of Rafah crossing comes amid tight security measures taken inside and outside the crossing and along the international road that links Arish, Rafah and Qantara, according to an Egyptian security source.
Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Loh expressed deep appreciation to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his keen to alleviate the sufferings of the Palestinians, and he thanked Egyptian security forces for providing all necessary aid.
The opening of Rafah crossing is particularly linked to the passage of medical patients, students and those with permits for Egypt.
The crossing is frequently closed due to military operations carried out by the army and police forces in northern Sinai to pursue terrorist elements, mainly affiliated with ISIS.
It is likely that about a one thousand passengers will leave during the three days of the opening of the crossing while dozens of Palestinians stranded in Egypt and other countries are expected to return.
The Palestinian embassy announced several days ago that those who want to return to Gaza shall go to the embassy and register their names to be given the permits.
This is the third time that crossing opens this month as it was opened on April 12 for three days in both directions and opened on April 25 for only one day for those stuck on the Egyptian side.
