EGYPT CLOSES RAFAH CROSSING SATURDAY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Rafah, 15 Dzulqa’idah 1434/21 September 2013 (MINA) – A Palestinian official has said that Egyptian authorities will close Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip as of Saturday until a further notice.

Egyptian authorities have said that the Rafah crossing “will be shut as of Saturday and have given no date for reopening it,” Maher Abu Sabha, director of borders in the Gaza government, said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Egyptian officials have not confirmed the claim.

Rafah crossing represents Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world, as all other points into or out of the coastal enclave remain blocked by Israel.

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Egyptian authorities partially reopened the terminal on Wednesday and Thursday after a weeklong closure following an attack on a military intelligence headquarters in the nearby city of Rafah that killed six army personnel.

Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, which forced residents to dig underground tunnels along borders with Egypt to bring in their needs of food and fuel.

But since the army’s July 3 ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian army troops have cracked down on Gaza tunnels, bringing most of them to a halt.

Meanwhile, The European campaign to raise awareness about the siege on Gaza, MEMO reports.

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That campaign has announced that it will make a presentation on the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip which affects more than 1,800,000 people on daily basis, on the sidelines of the upcoming UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva.

The Campaign condemned the closure of the Rafah Crossing, which prevents Palestinians from traveling and commercial goods from passing through, including medical aid and food that has been donated from around the world.

The Campaign demanded that the Rafah Crossing be fully and permanently opened before demolishing the tunnels that serve as lifeline for the Palestinians trapped in Gaza under the siege. (T/P09/E1).

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).