Egypt to open Rafah for special cases

Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in a limited way Wednesday and Thursday for special cases, Palestinian sources say. The Egyptians notified the Palestinian Authority that the crossing would operate four hours a day to allow patients and students to leave. The move came in response to a request by President Mahmoud Abbas, they said. The Rafah crossing has been closed since last Wednesday for security reasons after the Egyptian army started a crackdown against militants in the Sinai peninsula. Abbas on Monday telephone chief of the Egyptian intelligence Maj-Gen. Muhammad Tuhami and requested opening the crossing to allow students and humanitarian cases to leave the Gaza Strip. Tuhami responded positively and promised to open the crossing as soon as possible. Earlier Monday, dozens of students demonstrated near the crossing protesting the ongoing closure. Source: Maan