Jerusalem [Israel], September 15: Israel on Wednesday closed two checkpoints in the northern occupied West Bank and warned it might impose more restrictions following a deadly shootout.
The Al-Jalama (Gilboa) and Salam checkpoints, the two main crossings between the West Bank and Israel, will be closed as of Wednesday "until further notice," the office of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories said in a statement.
The measures were decided upon by Defense Minister Benny Gantz following "an evaluation of the security situation" and in the wake of an incident early on Wednesday morning in which two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at Israeli troops near the Al-Jalama checkpoint, killing an army officer. The two Palestinians were killed by the Israeli force.
Gantz also decided to halt entry permits to Israel for residents of Kafr Dan, from which the gunmen came, including work permits, the office said.
Israeli Prime Minister YairLapid said the army and Shin Bet internal security agency "are prepared for every scenario and on all fronts."
WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, reported that the Israeli military was holding the bodies of the two gunmen, identifying them as Ahmad Abed, 23, and Abdelrahman Abed, 22.
The violence was the latest in a string of clashes between Israel and Palestine.
Israeli forces have carried out frequent nightly arrest raids in the West Bank since March, triggering clashes with Palestinians, in which dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured.
Source: Xinhua
