Egypt opened its border with Gaza today to traffic into and out of the impoverished territory which has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly two years, security officials said.

israel gaza attack 140109 03 "Crossings have been authorised in both directions for humanitarian reasons following a decision by the Egyptian and Hamas authorities," a security official from the Islamist movement that controls Gaza told AFP .

Egypt has consistently rejected pressure to open its border with the Gaza Strip permanently, insisting it can only do so when the authority of Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has been restored.

But Egypt has opened the border on a temporary basis several times since Israel launched a devastating offensive against the territory at the turn of the year.

An international agreement signed by Israel and Abbas' Palestinian Authority in 2005 provided for EU monitoring of all traffic across the border and the installation of Israeli security cameras.

But in June 2007 Hamas seized control of the territory from Abbas loyalists, sparking the Israeli blockade. - AFP