Gaza : Angry Palestinians have protested on the Rafah terminal after Egypt shut the border crossing with Gaza for the first time since Egypt's new military government has declared that the Rafah crossing will remain open permanently.
Palestinian border officials said three buses filled with 180 passengers had waited several hours to cross the border at Rafah, the Hamas-ruled territory's gateway to Egypt, and some of those waiting responded by forcing the gate open.
"We have not been notified of any reason for the closure, passengers are angry," one of the officials told Reuters news agency.
Police escorted the protesters back across the border a short time later, after Egyptian soldiers ordered them to leave. There were no reports of any violence or arrests.The incident came as Palestinians were said to be planning marches to the Israeli borders from neighbouring Arab countries to mark a June 5 anniversary of Israel's capture of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, known in Arabic as the Nakba, or "setback".
Egypt had reopened the crossing on a routine basis on May 28, a step that eased conditions for the coastal territory blockaded by Israel, which says it needs to ensure Hamas doesn't smuggle in weapons.
But tensions over conditions at the Rafah terminal have been building since Hamas accused Egypt this week of placing limits on the number of people allowed through.
