With three upcoming Jewish holidays, Israel will cordon off the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip marking nearly a month of religious commemorations, the military said on Tuesday. Palestinians will not be allowed to leave the West Bank or Gaza Strip to enter Israel during the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana, later this month, as well as the Yom Kippur and Sukkot holidays in October.
"During the closure, passage will be allowed only in humanitarian, medical and exceptional cases," said the army, which regularly imposes these measures during the holidays. The closures come against a backdrop of soaring tensions after a series of deadly attacks since March.
Since then, the Israeli army has stepped up raids in the West Bank, notably in the regions of Nablus and Jenin where Palestinian armed groups are active.
The operations, which according to the army are aimed at arresting people suspected of "terrorism," are frequently punctuated by clashes with fighters or residents. Dozens of Palestinians, including members of armed groups, have been killed.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian was killed in clashes in the city of Nablus in a rare operation by Palestinian Authority security forces to arrest members of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas's secular Fatah has been at loggerheads with Hamas since 2007, when the group took control of Gaza after a near civil war. Since then, reconciliation efforts have failed.
