Palestinian security force officers, left, stand on one side of a fence as Palestinians waiting to cross into Egypt gather at the Rafah border crossing, 10 May 2008

Palestinian officials say Egypt has temporarily opened the border at the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons.

The crossing at Rafah opened Saturday to allow hundreds of Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled region to enter Egypt for medical treatment.

Hamas officials say the border will be open for three days to allow Palestinians who have been stranded on either side of the border for several months to return home.

Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between Hamas and Israel, which has sealed off Gaza at the border since the militant Islamist movement seized control of the territory last year.

The blockade has caused widespread shortages of basic goods.  Hamas militants blew open a large section of the barricade in January, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to cross into Egypt for supplies.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.