CAIRO, Aug 2: Egypt has decided to open the Rafah border crossing exceptionally to receive injured Palestinians, following heavy bombardment near the Egyptian border.
Egypt closed the border yesterday morning and couldn’t be able to allow a humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, a security source said.
The wounded Palestinians, too, could not cross over to Egypt for medical aid, though Egyptian ambulances were waiting for them at the border.
The source added that the Egyptian authorities preferred to close the Rafah border crossing until the situation reach stability in Gaza, especially Palestinian city of Rafah in order to protect workers and injured Palestinians who are willing to cross the border for help.
The border was shut after a series of airstrikes hit Gaza near the Rafah border. Israeli F-16 jets unleashed an intense bombardment near the Gaza-Egypt border, the Palestinian Ministry of Interior Fathi Ahmed Hammad said today.
UN representative in Jerusalem, Robert Serry, received assurances yesterday that “all parties agreed” to a 72-hour truce in Gaza.
The internationally-brokered truce, which started this morning, ended two hours later when Israel’s renewed firing on Gaza killed six people.
The Israeli military has, however, claimed that the truce ended after one of its soldiers was captured and two more were killed after the start of the ceasefire. (PTI)