Egypt closes Rafah crossing

Egyptian authorities closed the Rafah crossing today after it was opened for two days.

Humanitarian cases were allowed through the crossing over the past two days, along with a number of people who have been stuck either side of the Egypt-Gaza border.

Gaza’s Ministry of the Interior’s Borders and Crossings Commission said: “The Egyptian authorities closed the crossing once again early on Friday morning, after opening it for humanitarian cases and the return of those stuck on either side for two days.”

Some 739 patients, students, resident holders and holders of foreign passports left the Gaza Strip over the past two days, it said, while nearly 1,220 Palestinians who were stuck in Egypt returned to Gaza.

The Commission urged the Egyptian authorities to permanently open the crossing and to allow the 30,000 citizens who registered with the ministry to move freely across the border.