Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians from entering the country from the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip ahead of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday that begins this evening. <br/><br/>The army said such closures are often put in place for major Jewish holidays, but Israeli security forces are on especially high alert following a Palestinian gun attack in Jerusalem on Sunday that killed two people. <br/><br/>Thousands of Jews visit the Western Wall in east Jerusalem's Old City during Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which ends tomorrow evening.<br/><br/>The closure, in place today and tomorrow, applies only to<br/>Palestinians and not the roughly 400,000 Israeli settlers who<br/>live in the West Bank. The Gaza Strip is always under an Israeli blockade, though some crossings are usually allowed for work or medical purposes. The army said humanitarian and urgent medical cases will be allowed through during the holidays despite the closure.

Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians from entering the country from the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip ahead of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday that begins this evening. <br/><br/>The army said such closures are often put in place for major Jewish holidays, but Israeli security forces are on especially high alert following a Palestinian gun attack in Jerusalem on Sunday that killed two people. <br/><br/>Thousands of Jews visit the Western Wall in east Jerusalem's Old City during Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which ends tomorrow evening.<br/><br/>The closure, in place today and tomorrow, applies only to<br/>Palestinians and not the roughly 400,000 Israeli settlers who<br/>live in the West Bank. The Gaza Strip is always under an Israeli blockade, though some crossings are usually allowed for work or medical purposes. The army said humanitarian and urgent medical cases will be allowed through during the holidays despite the closure.