The Hamas rulers in Gaza on Sunday called onEgyptto re-open the only crossing point for Gaza citizens to travel out of the Palestinian coastal enclave.

The Hamas ministry of interior released a statement saying that the Egyptian authorities must allow the travelers in both directions to go through the Rafah crossing, adding that there is "no justification for the continued closure of the crossing.

The ministry said that the closure is affecting thousands of people who need to travel for medical, educational or business purposes. Rafah is the only crossing for individuals to enter or leave Gaza.

The closure came after 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed and seven more wounded in an attack by masked gunmen last Sunday in North Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip. The attackers then tried to force their way intoIsrael, and the Israeli army called in air force to strike the militants' armored vehicles that they seized from the ambushed Egyptian soldiers.

Israeli and Egyptian media reports hinted that Gazans participated in the attack. Hamas and other armed factions in the strip has denied any involvement. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of this date.

Signaling assurances to Cairo, Hamas has shut down smuggling tunnels beneath Gaza's southern border with Egypt after the attack.

Hamas, which took over Gaza in 2007, encouraged the digging of the tunnels to bring in food, petrol and building materials to get past Israeli sanctions that aimed at isolating the Islamic movement.