Key Gaza crossing fails to reopen despite agreement

The Rafah crossing on the border between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt failed to reopen on Saturday despite an agreement reached between the Palestinians and Israel.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters that the crossing would not be reopened for the time being due to an ongoing Israeli military operation in the Rafah area.

The Israeli army still blockaded a main highway that leads to the crossing while pressing ahead a major incursion in the Rafah area aimed to search for and destroy possible tunnels used by Palestinian militants to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip and mount attacks against Israel.

On Friday, Erekat announced that the Rafah crossing would open on Saturday and Sunday for Palestinians to enter Egypt.

People's Daily

PB

"The arrangement has changed."