Gaza-Egypt crossing to closed for Eid al-Adha holiday

By Hussein Elkabany

CAIRO

The Rafah border crossing linking Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to the blockaded Gaza Strip will be closed for six days next week for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, Palestinian border officials announced Wednesday.

In a statement, Gaza’s border authority said the crossing would reopen again on Aug. 26.

Since Egypt’s 2013 military coup, Cairo has kept the Rafah crossing closed for the most part, completing Israel’s decade-long blockade of the Hamas-run territory.

Recent months, however, have seen the crossing opened with greater frequency amid ongoing ceasefire talks -- brokered by Egypt -- between Israel and Hamas.