Israel closes West Bank and Gaza Strip crossings

Israeli security forces closed all crossings into and out of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip at midnight on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the army told AFP. She said that there would be exceptions only for humanitarian cases, including the sick, and pointed out that the closure would last until Sunday.

The Israeli defence ministry added that worshippers would not be prevented from travelling to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. Around 100,000 Palestinians performed the first Friday prayer of the Holy Month at the Noble Sanctuary in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Prior to the crossing closure, the Israeli occupation authorities suspended entry permits for 83,000 Palestinians after a deadly attack in Tel Aviv, in which four Israelis were killed and several others were wounded. The army said that the attackers, who were arrested, came from the Palestinian town of Yatta near the West Bank city of Hebron. Troops have since destroyed their family homes in an act of collective punishment that is prohibited in international law.

While the Palestinian Authority condemned the attack, other factions, including Hamas and the Popular Front, said that it was a response to the daily Israeli violations against the people of Palestine, including raids against Al-Aqsa Mosque.