Israel to impose total closure on West Bank, Gaza ahead of Jewish New Year

The closure, which follows "an instruction by the political echelon," will begin right after midnight Friday and will be lifted before midnight Sunday, according to a statement released by the military on Thursday.During the closure, all the checkpoints and crossings connecting Israel and the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will be shut down, pending a situational assessment, the military said."Passing would be possible only for exceptional humanitarian and medical cases and under the approval of the coordinator of the government's actions in the (Palestinian) territories," it added.The move comes amid escalating tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, Xinhua news agency reported.Israel often imposes full closures on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories it captured in the 1967 Middle East war, during Jewish holidays, citing security reasons.--IANSint/khz

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