Egypt briefly opens Rafah crossing

Residents of Gaza brave the summer heat, hoping to make it across the border to Egypt.

On Wednesday, Egyptian officials briefly opened the Rafah crossing after closing it five days ago.

The closure came amid several attacks in Egypt's restive Sinai region and the military's decision to remove President Mohamed Mursi from office.

Palestinians say shutting the crossing - the only official gateway to the world for the 1.7 million living here - has taken a heavy toll on residents.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZAN TRAVELLING TO EGYPT, MUHEE ALDEEN, SAYING:

"We live under siege and we have many problems and closing the crossing means closing the circle totally on us and I hope that this thing will not happen again and the crossing will be open continually."

The closure has also worsened fuel shortages, already bad after an Egyptian crackdown on smuggling tunnels, which Gazans rely on to receive basic goods.

This taxi driver says he often waits in lines for