Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing has reopened for limited traffic after two years or so of closure, officials have said.

The crossing, which links the Palestinian enclave with Egypt, is Gaza’s only border passage that does not lead to Israel. Its reopening, around two years after closing, came on Monday.

A vital entry point for humanitarian supplies and passage for people awaiting medical evacuation, the crossing’s reopening is stipulated under the United States brokered “ceasefire” that halted the war between Israel and Hamas in October.

The reopening will be limited. ⁠Israel and Egypt are expected to impose caps on the number of travellers crossing and Israel will demand intensive security checks on Palestinians entering and exiting the Strip.

After Isreal announced last week that it would finally reopen the crossing, a line of ambulances has formed on the Egyptian side of the border, awaiting entry to Gaza to evacuate people in need of urgent medical attention.

An Israeli security official said that European monitoring teams have arrived at the crossing, according to the Reuters news agency.

More to come…