Israel abruptly closed Tuesday morning the Rafah crossing terminal, Gaza’s sole outlet to the outside world, after the crossing was reopened yesterday for three days.
Israel abruptly closed Tuesday morning the Rafah crossing terminal, Gaza’s sole outlet to the outside world, after the crossing was reopened yesterday for three days.
Wael Dahab, spokesman of the Presidential guards at the crossing, confirmed that the Israeli authorities prevented access of the European observers to the Rafah terminal.
The crossing has been run by European observers since Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip in September 2005.
An elderly man died and seven other travelers were wounded last week during a crush after at least 5,000 Palestinians gathered at the terminal when it was reopened.
Since June 2006, Israel has frequently closed the Rafah crossing terminal for alleged security reasons, restricting the movement of thousands of people and causing major disruption.
