Israel will close border crossings in Gaza and the West Bank on Monday and Wednesday, isolating these Palestinian territories, in memory of the attacks of October 7, 2023, the Ministry of Defense announced today.
© MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images
04/10/2026
by
Lusa
“ O defense minister, Israel Katz, ordered the closure of border crossings in Gaza and Judea and Samaria [as is known to the West Bank in Israel] during the October 7 celebrations,” the ministry announced in a statement, basing its decision on a recommendation from the Israeli army.
The “general” closure of both Palestinian territories was decided “after an assessment of the security situation and with a view to the forthcoming celebrations” of the massacre by Gaza militants in Israeli territory three years ago.
Israel establishes three exceptions for access: specific authorisations granted by the COGAT, the Israeli military body that coordinates civil affairs in the occupied territories, the entry into Israeli territory of health professionals in the West Bank and cases involving commitments to the Supreme Court or needs in the border area between the two territories.
The closure will further isolate the two Palestinian territories.
In recent years, the Israeli army has recommended the closure of these passages on the occasion of several Israeli national or religious holidays, as well as in retaliation for the attacks by the Gaza militias on their troops.