Israel closes off Palestinian territories for 2-day Passover holiday

The Israeli military announced Thursday it will impose a 48-hour closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, banning Palestinians from entering Israel during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

A military spokesperson said the closure will last through the holiday, beginning at midnight between Thursday and Friday and ending on Saturday. The reopening is subjected to "security assessment," the spokesperson said, adding that expectations will be made for humanitarian and emergency medical cases.

In the Gaza Strip, all of the border crossings will be closed, the office of the coordinator of the government's activities in the territories said in a statement. Israel has been imposing a blockade on the Palestinian enclave since 2007, with a small number of people allowed leaving or entering the Strip.

Israel considers the high holiday as prone to attacks by Palestinian militants and regularly closes off the occupied territories during these times.

This year, Passover, one of the major holy days in the Jewish calendar, comes amidst a seven-month-long Palestinian unrest, including many stabbing, shooting, and car-ramming attacks. At least 200 Palestinians and 28 Israelis have died in the violence.

On Monday, a 19-year-old Hamas operative from the West Bank town of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, detonated a bomb inside a Jerusalem bus, injuring 21 people. He died of his wounds in a Jerusalem hospital two days later. The Hamas claimed responsibility for the blast. Endit