Gaza-Egypt border crossing remains closed

CAIRO, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The lone border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been closed for four days due to violence and instability on the Sinai peninsula, officials said.

The Rafah crossing is the only legal border crossing into and out of Gaza because Israeli forces have maintained a military land and sea blockade. The crossing is used by scores of Palestinian students and workers enrolled in Egyptian universities or with cross-border jobs, the Ma'an News Agency said Saturday.

The Rafah crossing has been closed multiple times over the last several months due to the political instability and violent clashes in Egypt.

The Palestinian Authority ambassador to Egypt, Barakat Farra, said the government is encouraging students who cannot get to school or who are stranded in Egypt to contact the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo to arrange for special crossing permits.

The most recent closure was prompted when a car bomb exploded outside the Egyptian intelligence service's headquarters in the Sinai.

The crossing was also attacked by anti-government protesters in Egypt last month, killing 25 Egyptian soldiers.