Some 100 reservists were deployed on Wednesday to reinforce the Israeli units around the enclave, as the Army Chief of Staff, Aviv Kohavi, is expected to visit the region.

Tel Aviv troops arrested the head of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, Bassam al-Saadi, on Monday night, triggering demonstrations and harsh condemnations from various Palestinian sectors.

Al-Saadi was arrested in the Jenin refugee camp on the north of the West Bank during a raid that sparked clashes and killed a Palestinian minor.

Faced with threats of retaliation, Tel Aviv authorities suddenly closed the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings in northern and southern Gaza, respectively, preventing thousands of Palestinians with work permits from entering the country.

The Armed Forces also paralyzed road traffic along the area near the borders with that territory, and rail traffic between the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot. Beach-goers were also prohibited from visiting the Zkim beach.

Yossi Yehoshua, a military analyst for the Israeli diary Yediot Aharonot, suggested that the continuation of these initiatives is a defeat for the country.

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