Checkpoint outside Ramallah (archive(
Photo: Amit Shabai
Full closure on West Bank, Gaza
Full closure imposed on Gaza and West Bank ahead of Yom Kippur, IDF to allow passage only for humanitarian needs
A full closure has been imposed on the West Bank and Gaza starting Thursday at midnight for the duration of the Yom Kippur holiday. The closure will be lifted on Defense Minister Ehud Barak's orders following a renewed security assessment after the holiday ends.
During the closure Palestinians will only be permitted to enter Israel for humanitarian reasons.
International organization workers, lawyers, medical professionals, clergymen, and other populations will also be permitted entry, under the coordination of Israeli security forces and the Palestinian Authority.
A similar closure was imposed on the West Bank during Rosh HaShana due to intelligence information warning of several possible planned terror attacks.
Security forces continue to operate against terror groups in the territories, earlier on Thursday the army thwarted a suicide bombing. Paratrooper and Haruv units arrested a would-be suicide bomber and two of his collaborators in the Beit Ein Ilma refugee camp in Nablus; the three men were planning to carry out a terror attack in the heart of Israel in the next few days.
The ongoing operation in the area in the last three days has already led to the arrests of 36 wanted Palestinians, including senior Hamas and Popular Front members.
