GAZA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt announced Friday it closed down the Rafah border crossing between the country and the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip until further notice, according to an official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
"The Egyptian side informed us of shutting down Rafah crossing until further notice because of the unstable security situation in the peninsula of Sinai," Maher Abu Sabha said in a press statement.
Rafah border crossing is the sole crossing point for the Palestinian coastal enclave, which has been under an Israeli blockade.
Movement at the crossing was slow over the past 10 days due to unstable situation in Egypt, as millions of protesters, with the help of the army, toppled Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
The closure of the crossing on Friday came shortly after militants launched armed attacks on al-Ariesh airport and six police stations in northern Sinai, killing one Egyptian soldier and wounding two others.
Over the past few days, the Egyptian security forces deployed more troops at the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Hamas government has said it does not interfere in Egypt's internal affairs.
'Prince's cool idea in summer': Carving on watermelon to boost sales
Feedback
RSS
