Palestinian Officials: Rafah crossing only open for ‘4 hours’

The Rafah crossing is operating at limited capacity, causing delays and overcrowding as Palestinians attempt to return to Gaza after being stranded abroad.

Only two buses of passengers were allowed to enter Gaza on Thursday as the crossing was only opened for four hours by Egypt.

Conditions on the Egyptian side were described as “very crowded” with only 120 passengers able to return home.

The Ministry of Interior in Gaza says 3,500 Palestinians are stranded in Egypt while some 1,500 wait in other countries to return to the Gaza Strip.

Only 400 have been able to return since Egypt briefly reopened the border for two days following 32 consecutive days of closure.

After the 2013 coup, which deposed president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s army has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials and other goods.