The Times of Israel reports: The army on Wednesday announced it would impose a nine-day closure on the West Bank and Gaza for the entirety of the Passover holiday, beginning on Friday.

The crossings into the West Bank and Gaza will be closed beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday until the following Saturday, April 7, at midnight, the military said. During the closure, the military will allow the passage of Palestinians in “humanitarian, medical and exceptional cases, with the approval of the [Defense Ministry’s] Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories,” according to an army statement.

Ordinarily, tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank enter Israel and Israeli settlements for work each day. A far smaller number of Gaza residents also travel to Israel, mostly to receive medical treatment.

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