CAIRO: Egypt allowed 20 Palestinians to cross to Sinai from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip for medical treatment on Monday, a security official told AFP.

All those coming for treatment were hurt in the latest Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip, the official said.

On Friday, an Israeli raid on Gaza killed seven people, one of them a 10-year-old boy.

Egypt last month allowed 320 Palestinians in for treatment, 120 of whom have returned to Gaza, the official said.

The crossing in the divided town of Rafah, which straddles the Egypt-Gaza border, has been closed almost continuously since the seizure of Gaza by Hamas in June last year.

Israel has also tightened restrictions on Gaza, preventing all but vital humanitarian aid from entering in an attempt to pressure the Hamas authorities to halt rocket attacks. -AFP