News Source : AFP
GAZA CITY: Egypt has told Gaza authorities it will close the Rafah border crossing from today, a spokesman for the Palestinian enclave’s Hamas government said.
“We were informed by the Egyptian authorities that the Rafah crossing will be closed tomorrow, Monday, in both directions,” Iyad al-Bozom, a spokesman for the Gaza interior ministry, said in a statement yesterday evening.
Security sources in Egypt confirmed the move, saying the crossing would be closed until further notice, without offering details or saying why.
Egypt had ordered the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt – the enclave’s only border point not controlled by Israel – to open in May to allow wounded Gazans to be treated in Egyptian hospitals and to deliver aid.
The opening came in the aftermath of the 11-day exchange of Hamas rocket fire and devastating Israeli air strikes, which also pushed Egypt to pledge US$500-million towards Gaza’s reconstruction.
Egypt had brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which ended the hostilities.
The Egyptian decision to close Rafah comes after a weekend of violence between Israel and Palestinians on Gaza’s eastern frontier.
