Israeli cabinet approves punitive measures after Tel Aviv shooting attack

Israel's security cabinet approved sweeping sanctions against the Palestinians on Thursday, a day after a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv killed four Israelis.

The security cabinet, the government's top forum on security issues, was convened at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, across the street from Sarona, the popular restaurant and shopping center in which Wednesday's attack took place.

A statement by the Prime Minister's Office said that the army has completely sealed off Yatta, a village in the southern West Bank from which the two Palestinian gunmen cousins came. All the exits and entries to the village were closed.

Some 83,000 permits for Palestinians to visit Israel during the Muslim holy month of the Ramadan have been cancelled, according to the statement. Work permits in Israel for members of the assailants' extended families were also revoked.

Additionally, the ministers were informed that works for closing gaps in the Separation Barrier between Israel and the West Bank will start on June 28, the statement read.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli army said it will increase its presence in the West Bank territories.

"In accordance with situation assessments, the Judea and Samaria (the biblical Jewish name for the West Bank) division will be reinforced by two additional battalions," a statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson read.

Four Israelis were killed in the attack on Wednesday night, and five others have been wounded. The attackers were apprehended as one was arrested and the other was shot and seriously wounded and is currently hospitalized.

It was the deadliest in a nine-month wave of violence, which saw the death of at least 204 Palestinians and 33 Israelis. Endit