Egypt keeps border crossing closure with Gaza

Egypt on Sunday kept Rafah crossing, the main border crossing point with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, closed for 23 days in a row, leaving thousands stranded on both directions of the crossing. Ghazi Hammad, the deputy minister of the Hamas-run ministry of foreign affairs, said in an emailed press statement that keeping Rafah crossing point closed for 23 days in a row "is illogic." "There are thousands of stranded Palestinian students, patients and holders of dual citizenships who need to travel," Hammad said, adding "we call on Egypt to immediately reopen the crossing." Meanwhile, the Hamas-run ministry of interior said in a separate emailed statement that since the beginning of this year, Egypt has opened Rafah crossing only for nine days. A few days ago, dozens of Hamas supporters demonstrated in front of Rafah crossing, and erected a tent of protest calling on Egypt to immediately reopen the crossing. "The rally provoked Egypt and expressed anger, but there are direct contacts with the Egyptian authorities to reopen the crossing in two directions, and we hope that the Egyptian side will be convinced," said Hammad. Since the ouster of Islamic president Mohamed Morsi of Egypt last July, Egypt rarely opened Rafah crossing. Egypt had also destroyed more than 90 percent of thousands of smuggling tunnels dug underneath the borderline between Gaza and Egypt.