Egypt assured Israel on Tuesday that the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will remain closed until a deal is reached that secures the release of Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, an Israeli official said. "We received assurances that Rafah crossing will not open until [Gilad] Shalit's case is solved," said a senior official who took part in the meetings in Sharm el-Sheikh between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The leaders also discussed arms smuggling into Hamas-run Gaza during the meeting, held on the sixth day of an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, where gunmen affiliated with Hamas have been holding Shalit for two years.
|