Egypt closes Rafah crossing due to technical fault

Egyptian authorities yesterday closed the Rafah crossing in both directions because of technical problems.

According to the crossing’s administration, Rafah was closed in both directions as a result of a fault in the communications cables on the Egyptian side.

At the start of Ramadan Egypt announced that it would keep the crossing open throughout the holy month.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said in a leaflet on his official Facebook page: “I have instructed the concerned bodies to take the necessary steps to continue opening the Rafah crossing during the holy month of Ramadan in order to ease the burden on the brothers in the Gaza Strip.”

4,277 travel through Rafah crossing in 10 days

The Rafah border crossing between the besieged Gaza Strip and Egypt has been almost completely closed since Al-Sisi overthrew his predecessor in a military coup in July 2013. It opens for short periods usually only to allow patients to access treatment in Egypt or further afield.

The Israeli occupation has imposed a tight siege on the Gaza Strip for 12 years limiting what supplies enter the enclave, including construction materials, food and other day to day essentials.