Gaza’s only border crossing with Egypt reopened partially on Monday morning after Israel closed it nearly two years ago, according to an Israeli security official, allowing a small number of Palestinians to enter and leave the war-torn enclave.

The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt partially reopened Monday, a significant step in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

It took more than 10 hours for only about a dozen returnees and a small group of medical evacuees to cross in each direction.