"According to the mechanisms set for patients, visa holders and other humanitarian cases, the embassy decided to open the border crossing on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to allow Palestinians in and out," the embassy's Tuesday statement read.

However, Cairo has occasionally opened the border crossing to allow civilians with foreign passports, Palestinian students and those with medical needs to travel back and forth.

This is the second time that Egypt has opened the border crossing in less than a month.

Cairo opened the crossing for three days shortly before the holy month of Ramadan began in early June.

One and a half million Palestinians living in Gaza have been under land, air and sea blockade by Israel since 2006.

Israel denies about 1.8 million people in the besieged Palestinian territory their basic rights, including adequate healthcare and education.

Egypt has kept its border with Gaza largely shut since 2013, following the ouster of the country’s first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi.

Egypt says the closure of Rafah will continue as it still suspects that Gaza’s ruling Hamas resistance movement plays a role in assisting militants in Egypt’s volatile Sinai region. Hamas has denied any involvement in the militancy, saying the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi seeks to maintain its ties with the Israeli regime through keeping Rafah closed.

Egypt has also destroyed hundreds of Palestinian supply tunnels used mainly to transit much needed commercial goods to Gaza since 2013, Abna reported.

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