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Rafah border crossing (archive image from al-awdany.org)

UPDATE

Gaza travelers stranded abroad

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Palestinian travelers are stranded in Arab and international airports as Rafah crossing is closed for the fourth day in a row due to unrest in Egypt, officials said Monday.

Travelers said Egyptian airlines were refusing to let Palestinians board due to the inability to continue traveling to Gaza through Rafah, which is controlled by Egyptian security authorities.

Maher Abu Sabha, general director of crossings, told Ma’an that the crossing was closed on both sides for the fourth day in a row. He said communication at the highest level were ongoing to reopen it.
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GAZA CITY (Ma’an), July 6, 2013 – The Gaza Strip’s only exit to the outside world, the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the enclave, was shut down for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

Sources at the terminal confirmed to Ma’an that the crossing point was still closed.

On Friday, Palestinian official Mahir Abu Sabha said that Egyptian officials at the site informed the Palestinian side it would remain closed until further notice.

They explained that the closure came in light of the unrest in Egypt after its army ousted the elected president Muhammad Mursi.

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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

As protests and unrest continue throughout Egypt, with over 40 people killed since Sunday, the Egyptian government closed the Rafah border crossing, which is virtually the only way in and out of the sealed Gaza Strip for its 1.4 million Palestinian residents.

Egyptian officials stated that the reason for the closure was a series of attacks in the Sinai peninsula by armed gunmen, following the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi earlier this week.

During one of those attacks, one soldier was killed and two wounded when fighters attacked a police station near the Rafah border crossing.

Palestinians living in Gaza voiced dismay at the decision to close the terminal, as all other entrances and exits to Gaza are controlled by Israel, and have been virtually sealed since the Hamas government was elected and formed a government in 2006.

Some Palestinians have found themselves stranded on the Egyptian side of the border, unable to get home.

The Egyptian government gave no indication as to when the border crossing will re-open.