Hamas called on Egypt Sunday to reopen the Rafah border crossing, which has been closed for three consecutive days.
Ihab al-Ghossein, spokesperson of the Palestinian government, said in a press release that the Gaza leadership is aware of the situation in Egypt, Sinai, and Arish, but that it hopes that the border crossing can resume normal activities, as a sustained closure will cause problems for travelers.
The authority in Gaza in charge of border crossings said that the Egyptian authorities informed him about the border closure but that no date has been set for its reopening.
Palestinian sources said thousands of Palestinians, including pilgrims, are in limbo at several airports as they are unable to travel to Cairo due to the situation there. Several students and hospital patients could not travel to Gaza due to the border closure.
The closure is accentuating tension in Gaza as the impact of the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsy, who had strong ties with Hamas, is beginning to be felt there.
Meanwhile, the military continues to destroy the tunnels facing Brazil Street, east of Rafah.
Military personnel and armored vehicles were deployed on the border with Gaza two weeks ago, hindering tunnel construction and maintenance, according to the Palestinian Maan news agency.
