Egypt announced on Sunday that it has decided to postpone the opening of Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip until further notice following a deadly assault in the Sinai Peninsula.
Head of the Commission of Crossings and Borders Hesham Udwan said the Egyptian authorities notified Gaza authorities of their decision to keep Rafah passageway closed due to the unexpected mayhem in the area.
The Gaza-based Interior Ministry confirmed the piece of news which it attributed to the deadly assault in Sinai.
Egypt had earlier announced it will open the border crossing exceptionally for four days starting Monday to allow movement in and out for humanitarian cases in the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian-run Rafah border crossing the only gate for Gaza to the outside world is shut down most of the year and opens for few days every two or three months. Egypt cites problems with armed groups in Sinai as the reason for keeping the border with Gaza closed.
Six Egyptian soldiers were killed on Sunday evening in a deadly attack on security outposts north of Sinai Peninsula. Car bombs and mortar shells were used in the assault.
A counter attack carried out by the Egyptian army claimed the lives of 35 gunmen.
