The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the decision was made after an assessment of the situation in which the military identified an uptick in activity by militants linked to Islamic Jihad that posed an “imminent threat of a possible attack against Israeli civilians.” Closed highways included route 4 from the Zikim junction to the Erez crossing. Route 34 from the Yad Mordechai intersection to the Nir Am intersection. and route 232 from the Nir Am intersection to the Kerem Shalom crossing. and the access roads for farmers west of Route 232. The army also closed Zikim Beach near the Gaza border and began blocking traffic between Ashkelon and Sderot. It also closed several sites overlooking the Strip, including the Sderot lookout and the nearby Asaf Siboni lookout, the Black Arrow monument and the Givat Nism lookout near Mefalsim, and Horseman Hill outside Kibbutz Nir Am. In 2018, a military bus was hit by an anti-tank guided missile at the Black Arrow site. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Relatedly, the IDF also closed the Erez crossing to pedestrians entering and exiting Gaza. The border checkpoint is used by thousands of Palestinian workers every day. Fearing a backlash to the arrest of a senior jihadist: road blockades in the Gaza Strip, train traffic between Ashkelon and Sderot stopped @Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/GU8Es6SJK0 — גלצ (@GLZRadio) August 2, 2022 Israel Railways announced that trains would stop running between the southern cities of Ashkelon and Netivot and that the nearby Sderot station would also be temporarily closed. The Prime Minister’s Office said Prime Minister Yair Lapid will assess the situation with Defense Minister Benny Gantz, IDF Chief Aviv Kohavi, Shin Bet Security Service Chief Ronen Bar, National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata, Deputy Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other officials. . Late Monday night, the IDF conducted a raid to arrest a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad official in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, during which a Palestinian teenager was killed. Bassem Saadi, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in the West Bank, was arrested along with his son-in-law and aide, Ashraf al-Jada. Some reports said that Saadi was also shot and injured during the incident. It was later reported that he was injured after being bitten by a military dog during his capture, with video being released of the event. Crawled on the floor and bitten by a dog: Palestinians release document from al-Saadi’s arrest in Jenin last night @kaisos1987 @ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/SduBp1CN1I — Here news (@kann_news) August 2, 2022 According to the Shin Bet, 61-year-old Saadi has been jailed and released by Israel seven times over the years. Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank, Bassem Saadi (left) and his son-in-law Ashraf al-Jada, in an undated photo. (Social media) The Shin Bet said that in recent months Saadi “worked even harder to restore PIJ’s activities, in which he was behind the organization’s establishment of a significant military force in Samaria in general and Jenin in particular,” referring to the northern West Bank . “His presence was a major factor in the radicalization of the organization’s cadres in the field,” the Shin Bet added. Palestinian gunmen pray before the funeral of a Palestinian who was shot and killed during an armed clash with Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Jenin, June 17, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90) In response, the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad announced in a statement that it was declaring a state of “vigilance” and increasing the “readiness” of its fighters following Saadi’s arrest. The Palestinian Authority’s health ministry identified the victim as 17-year-old Dirar al-Kafrini. A second Palestinian was moderately injured, the ministry said. A local Islamic Jihad wing claimed responsibility for the shooting at Israeli soldiers operating in Jenin, and Israeli officials said troops returned fire at the gunmen who opened fire, hitting several of them. The IDF and Border Police said a gun, ammunition and cash were seized from Saadi and al-Jada during the operation. Al-Jada, a PIJ operative, was also previously imprisoned in Israel, according to the Shin Bet. Glory to the fighter martyr Dirar Al-Kafrini.. pic.twitter.com/mlAEarkfoS — Khaled Affif (@AffifKhaled) August 1, 2022 Jenin is widely regarded as a hotbed of terrorist activity. Gunmen and other attackers who carried out several deadly terror attacks earlier this year came from the city and its refugee camp. Tensions remain high in the West Bank as Israeli security forces stepped up arrest raids and operations following a deadly wave of terror attacks against Israelis that killed 19 people earlier this year. In separate pre-dawn raids in the West Bank, troops arrested 12 wanted Palestinians, with violent clashes in some areas, the IDF said. In the Far’a refugee camp, the IDF said that as troops arrested two terror suspects, dozens of Palestinians opened fire and threw rocks, Molotov cocktails and improvised explosive devices at the troops. The IDF said troops returned fire, hitting some of the rioters and Palestinian gunmen. Palestinian media, citing the Red Crescent medical service, said five were injured, one of them seriously. No Israeli soldiers were injured in the operations, officials said. Last week, two Palestinian gunmen were killed in an Israeli military raid in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. 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