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Report: Egypt airports to refuse access for Palestinians
Published Saturday 18/08/2012 (updated) 20/08/2012 12:40
An Egyptian soldier guards a checkpoint at Rafah city in the northern
Sinai on August 9, 2012. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Palestinians flying to Egypt over the Eid al-Fitr holiday will not be allowed to enter the country, al-Ahram news site reported Saturday.
Airport authorities informed airlines that Palestinians will not be allowed to enter Egypt because the Rafah crossing is closed until Wednesday, the Egyptian news site said.
Egypt opened the border crossing on Tuesday for three days but have now closed it for the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Head of the customs authority at Cairo airport Magdi el-Seman said that Palestinians wanting to return to Gaza will have to wait until Wednesday, when the border is scheduled to be reopened.
After gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards in August, Egypt closed its border with the Gaza Strip and sealed smuggling tunnels that provide a lifeline to the besieged territory.
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