GAZA CITY, Aug 5 (AFP) - Israel is set to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt where thousands of Palestinians have been stranded for nearly a month, Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said Thursday.
"There have been security assessments and there is a very high chance that it will reopen tomorrow (Friday)," an Israeli military source told AFP.
A Palestinian security source confirmed "the Israelis have informed us that they will reopen it tomorrow".
On the Egyptian side, a border official said the Israelis had pledged to open the crossing to traffic from both sides at 8:30 am (0530 GMT) Friday.
"The terminal will operate for a period of eight hours every day to resolve the crisis of people stuck at the border," he said.
Egyptian officials say that some 3,400 Palestinians are now stuck on the border. It was sealed off over security fears that Palestinian militants may be burrowing a tunnel underneath it.
The Palestinians, foreign governments and rights groups have all raised concerns about the worsening conditions on the border where three pregnant women have suffered miscarriages in the last few days.
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said earlier this week that the United States was pressing Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resolve the crisis.
"We are aware (of) the situation and we are deeply concerned about it," he said. "It is a humanitarian problem that disturbs us."
The border was first sealed off on July 10 and has only briefly opened on two occasions since then.