Egypt on Sunday closed its Rafah crossing point with the Gaza Strip, fearing fresh Israeli attacks on the smuggling tunnels as Hamas proposed a one-year ceasefire instead of Israel's 18-months suggestion. Egyptian authorities have evacuated the Rafah border crossing into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, acting on reports of a possible Israeli air strike on the Palestinian side of the crossing, Egyptian security sources said on Sunday.
Security sources and witnesses speaking on condition of anonymity said authorities had carried out a sudden and rapid evacuation of the crossing area, removing staff and ambulances from the vicinity of the gates that control access to the crossing.