From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Army announces closure of West Bank, Gaza borders for Palestinians during first day of Passover holiday
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli army announces it is imposing a closure on border crossings between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip for the first day of Passover.
The closure will begin Friday, starting at 4 p.m., and last until 12 a.m. Saturday, April 16.
On Saturday night, officials will examine extending the closure during the entirety of the holiday.
Such closures are standard practice during festivals and holidays, in what the military says is a preventative measure against attacks at those times, which are seen as periods of increased tension. But during the holiday of Purim in March, the military skipped the usual closure, for the first time in five years.
Exceptions will be made for humanitarian and other outstanding cases, but will require the approval of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Passover begins on Friday evening and ends next Friday night.
The IDF also announces that the border crossing in the northern West Bank — closed following several terror attacks committed by Palestinians from the area — would reopen on Saturday, pending final approval.
The Times of Israel Community.