Egypt Closes Rafah Crossing with Gaza Starting Monday

Egyptian security sources have stated that Egypt will close the Rafah crossing on its border with the Gaza Strip starting Monday until further notice. The Palestinian movement Hamas, which governs Gaza, has reported that Egypt informed them of the decision to close the crossing in both directions, without providing further details. According to two Egyptian security sources, the closure is due to security reasons following the escalation that occurred on Saturday between Israel and Hamas, where Israeli aircraft targeted sites in Gaza after an exchange of fire occurred across the border earlier that day. Rafah is the only crossing between Egypt and Gaza, where a blockade led by Israel has imposed strict restrictions on the movement of goods and individuals for years. Egypt had opened the crossing indefinitely in February in what was described as an attempt to encourage negotiations among the Palestinian factions that were then meeting in Cairo.