Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
As Israel closes Rafah Crossing, source says EU, Palestinian officials operating it weren’t in Gaza when strikes began
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The European Union and Palestinian officials who have been operating the Rafah Crossing along with the private security contractors who have been conducting inspections of Gazans passing through the Netzarim Corridor were not in the Strip when Israel began its airstrikes in Gaza overnight, a European diplomat tells The Times of Israel.
They have been entering Gaza each day from Egypt in the morning and then departing the Strip at night, the diplomat says.
Israel informed them this morning that it was shuttering the Rafah Crossing as it intensifies its operations against Hamas, and that they therefore would not be allowed back into the Strip for the time being, the diplomat says.
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