World Bulletin / News Desk 

The Egyptian authorities on Thursday kept the Rafah border crossing – linking Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to the blockaded Gaza Strip – partially open for the third consecutive day, a Palestinian border official has said.

Maher Abu Sabha, head of the Gaza Strip's border authority, told Anadolu Agency that the Egyptian authorities had extended an initial two-day period for opening the border crossing.

The crossing, however, is only open in one direction, so as to allow stranded Palestinians to enter the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

Abu Sabha said some 1,580 Palestinians – who had been stranded in Egypt for over two months – were able to cross into Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Egyptian authorities had initially announced plans to keep the Rafah crossing open for two days only.

However, Egyptian officials on Wednesday night announced that they would keep the crossing open – from Egypt-to-Gaza only – on Thursday as well.

Abu Sabha had urged Egyptian authorities to open the border crossing in both directions to allow over 15,000 Palestinian "humanitarian cases," including 3,000 medical patients, to cross into Egypt from the blockaded strip.

The Rafah crossing is the only access to the outside world for the Gaza Strip's roughly 1.9 million inhabitants.

Israel, for its part, continues to keep its border crossings with the coastal territory tightly sealed.