Israel/Palestinian Terr.: Reopening of border crossings to Gaza Strip March 31

Event

The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced the reopening of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings points to the Gaza strip on Sunday, March 31, after a six-day closure caused by the launch of a rocket towards Israel's Central District on Monday, March 25. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remains deployed on the frontier following clashes with protesters celebrating the "Great March of Return" anniversary along the Israeli-Gazan border on Saturday, March 30, in which four people were killed.

Heightened tensions, additional demonstrations, and clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians along the Israeli-Gazan border cannot be ruled out over the coming weeks.

Context

Some 40,000 people demonstrated on March 30 to mark both "Land Day" and the one-year anniversary of the "March of Return," a weekly riot at the Israeli-Gazan border, organized by Hamas. Over 260 Palestinians have been killed, including 15 on the first day of demonstrations, and nearly 7000 have been wounded during these weekly protests.

Advice

Individuals in Israel and the Palestinian Territories are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all public gatherings due to the risk of violence, and adhere to instructions issued by local authorities and their home governments. Some Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Israeli-Lebanese, Israeli-Syrian, and Israeli-Egyptian borders.