Egypt cancels planned opening of Rafah crossing

Egyptian authorities today announced that they have cancelled the scheduled opening of the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Sinai, officials said.

Director of Gaza Crossings Maher Abu Sabha told Palestinian mass media that Egypt had informed the Palestinian side in Gaza that the Rafah crossing would be opened for three days starting tomorrow.

He then told Palestinian citizens in Gaza, who are ready to travel, to prepare themselves for tomorrow.

However, this morning he said that the Egyptian authorities had cancelled the plan to open the crossing after an Egyptian security officer was kidnapped in the Sinai city of Sheikh Zuweid.

“Unfortunately the suffering of tens of thousands of Gazans, including patients, students, visa holders and stranded wives, will continue,” Abu Sabha, who condemned the kidnapping, said.

Israel has imposing a strict siege on the Gaza Strip since mid-2007 and during this time it waged three wars that claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and wounded tens of thousands of others.

Gaza’s hospitals are suffering from a severe shortage of medicines and the spare parts urgently needed for medical equipment. In addition, the Strip is suffering from a severe shortage of electricity, which has resulted in blackouts that last 18 hours every day.

Hundreds of patients who are in urgent need for treatment abroad, students registered in universities abroad and work visa holders are unable to leave the Strip because the crossing is closed.