By Said Amori
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel has announced a complete lockdown on the occupied West Bank for Monday, marking the first anniversary of the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023 and the start of Israel’s offensive on Gaza, which is still ongoing, having so far killed some 42,000 people and injured nearly 97,000 others.
The official broadcasting authority reported Sunday that Israeli authorities have decided to enforce a full security perimeter around the West Bank, closing the crossings that connect it to Israel and preventing the entry of Palestinian workers.
The army decided to step up its military presence throughout the West Bank and on all fronts in anticipation of any events coinciding with Oct. 7, according to the broadcaster.
Tension has been high across the West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,800 people, most of them women and children, since last Oct. 7.
In the occupied West Bank, at least 742 Palestinians, including children, have since been killed, nearly 6,200 others injured, and more than 10,900 arrested, according to Palestinian figures.
The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala