Israel closes crossings to Palestinian during national holidays

Israeli military announced Tuesday it will impose a series of closures on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the upcoming Jewish holidays, reported Xinhua.

During the closures, all of the checkpoints and crossings connecting Israel and the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip will be shut down. "Crossing will be possible only for exceptional humanitarian and medical cases," the army said in a statement.

The first closure will be imposed ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. It will start on the afternoon of Sept. 25 and will be lifted at midnight between Sept. 27 and 28, "in accordance with a situation assessment," the army said.

On October 9, another one-day closure will be imposed, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Six days later, another one-day closure will be imposed due to the same holiday.

This year, the move comes at a sensitive time due to rising number of clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank.