Israel extends closure on West Bank, Gaza

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army has extended the closure on the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip until Monday.

In a statement, Israel's military liaison unit to the Palestinians, known as COGAT, said the move was taken after a security evaluation of the situation in the Palestinian territories.

The statement said medical and humanitarian cases will be allowed to travel via the crossings during the closure.

Israeli security officials are set to meet later on Sunday to assess the situation and decide on whether to extend the closure beyond Monday.

Israeli authorities have ordered the closure in the wake of a deadly axe attack in the city of Elad near Tel Aviv, in which three Israelis were killed.

On Sunday, the Israeli military said two Palestinians suspected of carrying out the attack were arrested after a four-day manhunt.

Tensions have been running high across Palestinian territories since last month amid repeated Israeli arrest campaigns in the occupied West Bank and daily settler incursions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara