Gaza City - Egypt opened its border with the Gaza Strip on Saturday for limited numbers of humanitarian cases, a Hamas spokesman said.

The spokesman, Adel Zourob, added that the Rafah crossing point will be open for two days for patients, students and Palestinians who are holders of residency permits in other countries.

The names of the individuals who would be allowed to leave Gaza appeared on the website of Hamas' interior ministry. The militant Islamist movement is in control of the Gaza Strip.

The spokesman slammed Egypt's procedures on the crossing, saying that "the policy of long-waits and piling up the travellers on the crossing would increase the suffering of 1.5 million Palestinians."

Israel and Egypt closed their border with the Gaza Strip in 2007 after Hamas took over the territory by force. Since then, Egypt has periodically allowed the departure and return of humanitarian cases.

Following Israel's major offensive in Gaza in January 2009, Egypt has opened the crossing for patients, wounded and international medical teams. (dpa)