Egypt Closes Rafah Crossing With Gaza After Border Violence

Egypt will close the Rafah crossing with Gaza on Monday, according to reports citing both Egyptian security sources and Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip. The border will be closed until further notice, Reuters reported.

Egypt says the decision to close the border is for security reasons, following violent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza over the weekend, according to Reuters.

Rafah, the only border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, had been open sine February to goods and people, after being basically closed for several years.

Egypt has been working to broker a more permanent cease-fire between Hamas in Gaza and Israel since the 11-day conflict in May.