CAIRO — The Palestinian Authority pulled its staff from the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Jan. 7 over what it called the “brutal practices” of Hamas, which controls the coastal enclave.

The PA said in a statement, “This decision comes in light of the latest developments and the brutal practices of the de facto gangs in our beloved sector and stems from responsibilities toward our beloved people in the Gaza Strip and in an attempt to alleviate the pressure from the blockade. Since we took over the Rafah crossing, Hamas has been hindering our employees there from doing their job. We endured a lot to give our Egyptian brethren a chance to try and end the division.”

The statement, which was published on the eve of the PA’s withdrawal from the Rafah crossing Jan. 6, read, “Hamas insists on perpetuating the division with its practices, the most recent of which being the arrests and abuses of our employees. We have come to realize that our employees’ presence there is futile.”

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip took over control of the Rafah crossing following the PA’s withdrawal. The handover took place after midnight on Monday, in the presence of an official delegation of the Ministry of Interior. It is unknown whether the crossing will be operational following the change. Egypt had closed the crossing due to the Christmas holidays and festivities and kept it closed after Hamas took over.