Egypt kept its border with the Gaza Strip closed for the third day in a row on Sunday, preventing Palestinians from leaving or returning to the coastal enclave via its main crossing point at Rafah city.

The closure of Rafah crossing point started Friday after clashes between the Egyptian security forces and unknown militants in the volatile North Sinai area, which borders the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas-run government of Gaza said that Egypt closed the crossing point indefinitely.

"We understand the sensitive situation in Egypt, especially in Sinai, but we hope that the crossing point is exempted from this circle because the closure causes several crises for the travelers, " said Ihab Al-Ghussein, spokesperson for Hamas' government.

Palestinian travelers coming into Gaza via Egypt are held either in Cairo airport or in the countries they were visiting from the outset. Thousands of passengers are also stuck on the Palestinian side of Rafah crossing.

The Egyptian military on Wednesday ousted President Mohamed Morsi, who was elected a year ago, for his "maladministration," and on the following day appointed an interim president to run the country for a transitional period.

Hamas, which took over Gaza by force in 2007, is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails.