The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has notified Americans that Israeli checkpoints across the entire West Bank will close on October 5 and October 7, 2026, coinciding with the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people and triggered the war in Gaza.
According to the embassy’s security alert, the closures mean there will be no regular entry into Israel from the West Bank during those two days except for medical and humanitarian cases. Jerusalem ID holders will still be able to commute and travel freely, but holders of Arbel permits will not be permitted to cross checkpoints. The embassy said it would issue updates if the policy changes significantly.
The alert does not explain why October 6 was left out of the closure window.
This is not the first such closure this fall. The same checkpoints were shut from September 27 through Saturday, October 3, with entry into Israel likewise restricted to medical and humanitarian purposes during that stretch.
The closures were reportedly ordered by Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, acting on recommendations from the Israel Defense Forces. Katz’s order is also said to apply to checkpoints along the Gaza Strip on October 5 and October 7.
No specific threat has been publicly disclosed in connection with either closure. The embassy’s notice was framed as information for Americans making their own security plans rather than as a warning tied to a known plot.
The measures come as Israel continues operations against individuals identified as having participated in the October 7, 2023 attack, three years after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel and carried out mass killings, hostage-takings and other atrocities that set off the war in Gaza.
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