GAZA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Egypt kept its borders open to allow travel of Gazans seeking pilgrimage in Mecca, officials said on Saturday.

    Early on Thursday, 800 Palestinians have managed to travel through Rafah border crossing, leaving the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the officials said.

    The departure of the pilgrims was successful this year after Hamas administration and the West Bank-based Palestinian National Authority (PNA) agreed on a list of 4,500 Gazans.

    Last year, none of the Gazans was able to travel to Saudi Arabia due to the differences between Hamas and the PNA, dominated by President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. Hamas had tried to arrange directly with the Saudis who had already allocated Palestinians' quota with the PNA.

    The pilgrims would be flown to Mecca on Palestinian Airlines planes from an Egyptian airport in Sinai.

    Israel has also allowed A/H1N1 vaccines into Gaza for the use of pilgrims.

    Israel and Egypt have been maintaining a closure on Gaza since Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and seized control of the coastal enclave in 2007.

Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts