GAZA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Egypt is to partially open its borders with Gaza for two days to allow stranded and humanitarian cases to cross, Hamas sources in Gaza said on Thursday.

    The crossing will be open on Saturday and Sunday. Some 1,500 Egyptians stuck in Gaza will go home on Saturday and 400 Palestinians patients in Gaza will leave for medical treatment in Egypt on Sunday.

    Those Egyptians entered Gaza in January when Hamas militants blew up the border between Gaza and Egypt and allowed the Palestinians to cross freely into Sinai.

    During the two-day opening, Egypt will also allow hundreds of Palestinians stranded on its territories to return to Gaza.

    The Rafah crossing was closed in June, 2006 when Hamas and two other factions kidnapped an Israeli soldier from his base near the Gaza Strip.

    According to a U.S.-brokered deal reached in 2005, Rafah crossing can not open without the presence of security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and European Union monitors.

    Israel obstructed the arrival of the EU monitors after its Corporal Gilad Shalit was captured. A year later, Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and took over control of the Gaza Strip.

    Since then, the travel via Rafah crossing was limited to the urgent medical cases, stranded students and representatives of Hamas and other Palestinian groups.