Israel has closed the only crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and neighbouring Jordan, stopping more than two million Palestinians from accessing the outside world.
The Israeli airports authority, which oversees the Allenby Bridge crossing, said it would be closed indefinitely from Wednesday morning at the direction of the political leadership. It did not provide a reason.
The closure has stranded many Palestinians in the West Bank, who are unable to go on planned trips abroad. Those who are abroad have been unable to travel home.
It comes days after two Israeli military personnel were shot dead near the crossing by a Jordanian gunman, who was killed at the scene.
It was briefly shut following that incident but had since reopened.
The crossing - also known as the King Hussein Bridge - lies about halfway between Amman and Jerusalem and is the only official crossing point between the West Bank and Jordan. It is also the only entry point to the West Bank that does not go through Israel.
Most Palestinians in the West Bank are not allowed to travel through Israeli airports or other Israeli border crossings, meaning the bridge is an essential connection to the outside world.
Prominent Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti told the BBC it was a dangerous move that meant imprisoning people in the West Bank and depriving them from the only passage out.
He emphasized the implications for family connections, stating, You're talking here about disrupting the relationship between hundreds of thousands of families who are usually connected through Jordan.
Thousands of people who are stuck in Jordan do not have resources to pay for hotels and cannot stay outside. Mothers living with their children in the West Bank urgently need to return home.
Jordan is home to more than two million registered Palestinian refugees, while more than half of its population is of Palestinian descent. The country has maintained security, trade and diplomatic ties with Israel since a 1994 peace treaty but remains a vocal critic of Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Maxim Giacaman, 23, a medical student from Bethlehem, expressed his frustration at being unable to travel abroad for a crucial medical rotation. I have a rotation for one month in Germany for cardiac surgery, he shared. My plane is on Saturday, and I was planning to go to Amman, Jordan today. So it's miserable.
The Allenby bridge is a key trade route for goods and medical supplies entering the West Bank. Israeli authorities say about 9% of humanitarian aid sent by truck to Gaza passes through it.
Palestinians fear its indefinite closure could be a reaction to moves announced this week by several countries to recognize the State of Palestine. The Israeli government has denounced these actions as a reward for terrorism.\
Since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that resulted in significant casualties and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Israel's control over the West Bank has tightened dramatically. This has included introducing hundreds of new checkpoints and launching major military operations against Palestinian resistance groups.
The Allenby Bridge was built after British general Edmund Allenby's victory over the Ottoman Empire in 1917 and has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six Day War. It has previously closed for security reasons and during religious holidays.
