Israel reopens Palestinian crossings after deadly Tel Aviv shooting

Jerusalem: Israel has reopened Palestinian crossing points from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip following a three-day closure put in place after last week's deadly Tel Aviv shooting, the army said today.

Crossings were reopened overnight as planned, an army spokeswoman said, though "security checks are ongoing" in Yatta, the West Bank village where the two Tel Aviv attackers were from.

The village had been put on lockdown in the hours after Wednesday night's attack that killed four Israelis and wounded five others.
Crossing points were shut on Friday morning, preventing Palestinians from entering Israel and annexed east Jerusalem.

An exception was made however for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan, with thousands of Palestinians allowed to visit Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam.

The closure also coincided with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which was celebrated yesterday.

Israel regularly shuts crossing points during major Jewish holidays, when large numbers of Israelis congregate to pray or celebrate, presenting a potential target for Palestinian attacks.

Israel announced a range of measures following the Tel Aviv attack, which saw two Palestinian cousins open fire at a busy cafe.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced the cancellation of tens of thousands of permits for Palestinians to enter Israel and east Jerusalem during Ramadan.