Egypt closes Rafah crossing
Published 22 January, 2015 22:12
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=755876

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Thursday closed the Rafah
crossing after it had been temporarily opened for three days.

Palestinian crossing officials told Ma'an that 830 Palestinians in Gaza used
the crossing, which was reopened on Tuesday.

There was no indication from Egypt when it will be reopened again.

The crossing has been closed almost completely -- save for a few days --
since it was closed in October after an attack on Egyptian police by
militants in Sinai.

The Palestinian Ministry of Internal Affairs says over 25,000 humanitarian
cases are on a waiting list to use the crossing for medical treatment and to
continue their studies abroad.

During the first six months of the year when the crossing was almost
entirely open except for 22 days, an average of 6,400 people crossed each
month, according to the UN.

The jointly-enforced Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the tiny territory has led
to frequent humanitarian crises and armed conflicts with Israel, and is
currently limiting the entry of construction material for the devastated
Strip's post-war reconstruction, promised by the international community.