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

The Israeli authorities decided to impose a closure on the West Bank and close 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 October 5 and 7, under the pretext of “evaluating the security situation” and on the occasion of commemorating the October 7 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, cases related to commitments made by Israel before the Supreme Court, and needs related to the seam 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 Jerusalem Post newspaper reported that the Israeli Defense Minister issued instructions to impose a comprehensive closure on the West Bank and close the Bethlehem crossings, starting from the fifth to the seventh of October.

He added that passage through the crossings will be limited to exceptional cases that require prior approval from the competent authorities, while allowing the crossing of crews and essential workers in the health sector.

The Israeli statement did not refer to a specific security incident behind the closure decision, only linking it to “an assessment of the security situation” and commemorating the October 7 attacks.

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.

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: “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 area because of the importance of collective journalistic action in the field, but when we arrived we were surprised by large numbers of settlers in "Then there was shooting, and the settlers came very close to us."