Egypt closes Rafah border gate for fifth day

Egyptian army continued to close the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for the fifth day in a row. "Contacts are underway between the Palestinian side and Egypt to reopen the Rafah gate and allow in people stranded on both sides," Islam Shahwan, spokesman of the Gaza interior ministry, told Anadolu Agency. "There are no official pledges to reopen it." The spokesman said the Egyptian side cites security reasons for the gate's closure. "They say there is no official decision to shut it." The Egyptian army closed the crossing on Friday, two days after the overthrow of elected president Mohammad Morsi. More than 3,000 Palestinians are currently stranded on the Egyptian since, according to AA correspondent. Rafah crossing is Gaza's only gateway to the outside world that surpasses Israel.