Israel imposes a closure on the West Bank and the crossings with Gaza to coincide with the anniversary of October 7

The Israeli authorities decided to impose a closure on the West Bank and the crossings leading to the Gaza Strip on Monday and Wednesday, coinciding with the third anniversary of the attacks on October 7, 2023.

Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that he approved the army’s recommendation to impose a closure on the 5th and 7th of October, under the pretext of “evaluating the security situation” and on the occasion of commemorating the October 7th attacks.

Katz explained that the closure imposed on the West Bank will be comprehensive, based on the army’s recommendations and security assessments.

The decision excludes specific cases in the West Bank after obtaining approval from the Coordinator of Israeli Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories, in addition to essential workers in the health sector and cases related to commitments made by Israel before the Supreme Court, and needs related to the contact zone.

The decision also includes closing the crossings leading to the Gaza Strip during the two days, which imposes additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinians through the crossing points. The closure coincides with ceremonies organized by Israel to commemorate the third anniversary of the attacks, including a ceremony scheduled for Monday in Jerusalem for the families of those killed in the attacks and the war.

Field developments in the West Bank

On Sunday morning, Israeli forces launched a campaign of raids and arrests in various areas of the West Bank, targeting 15 Palestinians, including two journalists, according to what the Palestinian Prisoners’ Information Office reported.

The office said that Israeli forces arrested journalist Sami Al-Shami after raiding his home in the village of Asira Al-Qibliya, south of Nablus. They also arrested six young men from the village and another young man from the Old City of Nablus.

In the Jenin Governorate, Israeli forces arrested journalist Raja Jabr, a member of the Administrative Council of the Journalists Syndicate, from her home in the town of Arraba, south of the governorate, along with two young men from the town of Kafr Dhan, west of Jenin, and a young man from the city of Jenin.

In Tulkarm Governorate, Israeli forces arrested a young man after raiding his house in the town of Attil, north of the city.

It also stormed the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, and arrested a Palestinian and his son after raiding their home.

During renewed settler attacks in the village of Beita, south of the city of Nablus, a number of journalists faced what they described as difficult times during their field coverage, including Palestinian journalist Wahaj Bani Mufleh, who told the BBC earlier: “We accompanied a group of Palestinian families to the Qammas area in the town of Beita to prepare reports about the olive tree harvesting season. My colleague Alaa Badarneh and I moved with a number of colleagues in the region because of the importance of collective journalistic action in the field, but when we arrived we were surprised by large numbers of Settlers in the area, and then there was shooting, and the settlers also came very close to us.”

The Palestinian journalist adds that after that, "we took shelter inside a house, then the Israeli army stormed the area with a civilian car driven by a settler. We filmed the events even though it was an hour of anxiety, fear and tension due to the attacks, especially since the settler does not differentiate between a citizen or a journalist."

For its part, the Israeli army said that its forces carried out operations in various areas of the West Bank during the past days, arresting dozens of Palestinians and confiscating weapons and equipment that it said were being used in armed activities.

The army added that "its forces arrested six Palestinians, including a member of the Hamas movement, during night operations in Balata Camp and the Old City of Nablus."