Israel reopens Palestinian crossings after three-day shutdown

Israel reopens Palestinian crossings after three-day shutdown
Israel says it has reopened Palestinian crossing points from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip following a three-day closure put in place after a Tel Aviv shooting last week.
2 min read
13 June, 2016
Crossings were reopened overnight but security checks are ongoing [Getty]

Crossing points in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip reopened for Palestinians on Monday, following a three-day closure imposed by Israel after a Tel Aviv shooting last week.

Crossings were reopened overnight as planned, although "security checks are ongoing", an army spokeswoman said.

Crossing points were shut on Friday morning, preventing Palestinians from entering Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.

Israel announced a range of measures following the attack, which saw a pair of Palestinian cousins open fire on a busy coffee shop, killing four Israelis and wounding five others.

The West Bank village of Yatta, where the two alleged attackers were from, had been put on lockdown in the hours after Wednesday night's attack.

"Israeli forces heightened security measures in the village and carried out a number of house raids," Ratib al-Jabbour, coordinator of the Popular Committees in Yatta, told The New Arab.

"Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians during the raids, firing rubber bullets and gas grenades at them," Jabbour said.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Palestinians saw their permits to enter Israel and East Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan revoked.

The moves drew international concern, with France strongly condemning the attack and warning against further exacerbating tensions.

UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein's office also condemned the attack, but said the Israeli measures may amount to "collective punishment", illegal under international law.

The Tel Aviv attack was the deadliest in a wave of violence that began in October.

One of the attackers was arrested, while the other was shot and underwent surgery.

Further details have been placed under a gag order by Israeli authorities while the investigation continues.

Agencies contributed to this report.