Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi (L) is welcomed by Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan during Sisi's first official visit to the United Arab Emirates. — Reuters CAIRO — Egypt is to reopen the Rafah crossing with Gaza for three days starting Tuesday, for the third time since it was shut in late October after a deadly suicide bombing, security officials said.
The crossing, the only access point to the Palestinian Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel, was to be reopened last week, but the decision was postponed after an Egyptian police officer working at the terminal was kidnapped and killed.
The reopening of the crossing will allow Palestinians students who have been stranded on either side to travel through the frontier, a security official said.
The terminal was shut by Egypt after a deadly bombing in the Sinai Peninsula killed 30 soldiers in late October. It was later reopened twice.
The Egyptian army has been battling an insurgency in the restive Sinai. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, Egypt's deadliest militant group, is based in the peninsula and has claimed several deadly attacks on security forces.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi arrived in the United Arab Emirates on his first official visit since being elected president of the Arab world's most populous country.
Emirati state news agency WAM says El-Sissi arrived in the capital of Abu Dhabi late Saturday and met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. The visit reflects the strong support the Emirates has given to El-Sissi's government since he was elected in June. He previously visited the Gulf federation in March 2014, when he was Egypt's interim military chief, to mark the end of joint military exercises between the two countries. — Agencies
