Egypt closes Gaza border amid tensions with Hamas

Rafah closure linked to Cairo’s efforts to broker a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Egyptian officials say.

Egypt has closed its main border crossing point with the Gaza Strip amid tensions with the territory’s Hamas rulers, officials have said. It was the first time the Rafah crossing was shuttered during a workday since early this year. Egyptian authorities had kept it open during the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in May. According to the Egyptian officials, the closure was connected to Cairo’s efforts to broker a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It was not immediately clear how long the closure would last, the officials said.

One of the officials said the move was meant to pressure Hamas because of the “differences” between Cairo and the group over lack of progress in both the Egyptian-led, indirect talks with Israel and also efforts to reconcile Palestinian factions. The officials spoke to The Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters.

The closure came hours after Egypt’s staterun news agency reported that the crossing point was opened on Sunday after its weekly closing down for the Muslim weekend, Friday and Saturday. Iyad al-Bozum, a spokesman for the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, said Hamas had been notified of the closure. He said they were in contact with Egyptian authorities to reopen Rafah.

“The closure of the crossing exacerbates the humanitarian crisis inside the Gaza Strip,” he told AP. “We hope the crossing will return to work as soon as possible.”

Source: aljazeera.com