Egypt closes Gaza border indefinitely

Egyptian authorities have closed the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip "indefinitely" for security reasons after a day of deadly violence nationwide," a security official told AFP on Thursday. Hundreds of Palestinian travellers were left stranded on both sides of the crossing, the only gateway into the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory that bypasses Israel, witnesses said. Maher Abu Sabha, who is in charge of the crossing on the Palestinian side, told Arab today:  “the ?Egyptians officially informed us they are closing the Rafah crossing in both directions today ?because of the deteriorated security situation in North Sinai.@ The measure follows widespread unrest in Egypt on Wednesday after a bloody crackdown by security forces on loyalists of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Since July 3, Rafah has been functioning at minimum capacity, with residency holders, those seeking retreatment for physical ailments and foreign passport holders allowed to cross. Additional source: AFP