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Egypt closes Rafah crossing after special opening for just one day

October 16, 2015 at 10:28 am

The Egyptian authorities have closed the Rafah border crossing after opening it for just one day to allow “special cases” to cross. Only Palestinians stranded in Egypt were allowed to pass through back into the Gaza Strip, Egyptian security sources have revealed.

“Nearly 2,000 Palestinians crossed into the Gaza Strip,” the anonymous sources told Anadolu. “The Palestinians were also allowed the entry of some construction materials.”

The Rafah border crossing links the Gaza Strip to Egypt. It is generally specifically for pedestrian traffic, although it is occasionally used for goods. For most of Gaza’s 1.9 million Palestinian residents it is the only physical link to the outside world due to the Israeli-led blockade, which is supported by Egypt’s closure of the border.

The Egyptian authorities have closed the Rafah crossing more or less continuously since the military coup in July 2013, and only open it for humanitarian cases. Opening the crossing, say the authorities in Cairo, depends on the security situation in northern Sinai. A number of assailants have made a series of attacks on security and military targets near the border over the past couple of years.