Israel Closes West Bank, Gaza Strip for Rosh Hashanah

Israeli soldiers keep watch at the Gush Etzion junction, south of Jerusalem in the Israeli
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty

The Times of Israel reports: The IDF announced on Tuesday that it will put in place a closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, ahead of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which starts Wednesday evening.

The closure, a routine procedure during Israeli and Jewish holidays, is expected to last until midnight on Saturday, “depending on a situational assessment,” the army said. Ordinarily, tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank enter Israel for work each day. A far smaller number of Gaza residents also travel to Israel, mostly to receive medical treatment.

According to the IDF, during the closure exceptions will be made for humanitarian and other outstanding cases, based on an assessment by the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration.

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