GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Gaza's interior ministry said that Egypt will close the Rafah crossing out of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday during the final round of voting in the country's parliamentary elections.

The terminal, Gaza's only link to the outside world due to Israel's closure, will be reopened on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Egypt is electing the lower house of parliament in its first national poll since ousting former President Hosni Mubarak in February.