Israel closes off West Bank, Gaza Strip for Jewish holiday

Israel's military said it closed off the Israeli-controlled West Bank and Gaza Strip overnight between Saturday and Sunday, ahead of a Jewish holiday, for the fourth time in a month.

A military spokesperson said in a statement that the closure was imposed on Saturday at 00:01 and will be lifted on Monday night, at the end of the "second holiday of Sukkot."

The holiday marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of the Torah reading (Torah is the first book of the Bible.)

"During the closure, only exceptional medical and humanitarian cases will be allowed to pass, subjected to approval by the government's coordinator of activities in the territories," the statement read.

Israel frequently seals the Palestinian territories during Jewish holidays, citing security reasons.

On October 2, Israel imposed a three-day closure for the Jewish New Year. The territories were sealed again on October 11-12 for Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Attornment," three days before another closure was imposed for the first holiday of Sukkot.

Also on Sunday, the military police said it opened an investigation into the killing of a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, who was shot dead by soldiers near the West Bank village of Beit Ommar, north of Hebron.

The military said that a group of Palestinians hurled stones at a military jeep on a road near the village. The youth was killed when soldiers stepped out of the vehicle and "began a procedure for arresting a suspect," the military said in a statement.

Local sources in the village said that the young man fell on the floor and was bleeding for a long time after the shot, while the soldiers prevented Palestinian ambulances from reaching his body.

Last year's high holiday season marked the beginning of a wave of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, which claimed the lives of at least 230 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two U.S. citizens, and an Eritrean asylum seeker. Endit