Egypt closes Israeli crossing in protest of abductions
Police block Awja commercial crossing following kidnap of fellow officers last week
Scores of Egyptian police blocked a commercial border crossing with Israel to protest the abduction of their colleagues in the volatile Sinai peninsula.
The closure Sunday left around 40 trucks stranded at Awja crossing, according to Ahmed Osman, a civil servant there.
Israel Airports Authority spokesperson Ofer Lefler told Reuters that commercial traffic to and from Egypt had stopped because the police barricaded the crossing.
Suspected militants abducted seven Egyptian policemen in the Sinai Peninsula on Thursday. Security officials said the kidnappers were demanding the release of jailed militants. The officials said negotiations with the kidnappers through mediators were deadlocked.
Israeli officials had no comment on the closure.
Protesting police also shut down Egypt’s main crossing point into the Gaza Strip Friday, barring people from going in or out of the Palestinian territory. There was no indication that Israel or Palestinians were involved in the abduction.