All roads heading west of route 232 had been closed in both directions, as well as Route 4 from the Zikim Junction to the Erez crossing.
The IDF has called up a limited number of reservists to deploy along the Gaza Strip as the military continued to close the roads in the area for the second day in a row on Wednesday over concerns of an attack after Israeli security forces arrested a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative in the West Bank.
Following a situational assessment, the IDF called up around 100 reservists, mainly security officers for communities in the Gaza envelope for temporary assistance in securing the area.
The call-up came as tensions increased after Bassem Saadi, the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, was arrested along with his son-in-law overnight on Monday during a raid in Jenin. He was seen being dragged by forces and was slightly bitten by a military dog during his arrest.
The Shin Bet said that Saadi was recently working hard “to restore the Islamic Jihad’s operations, in which he was instrumental in establishing a strong military force in Samaria in general and in Jenin in particular. His presence was a significant factor in radicalizing the organization’s operatives.”
Following his arrest, the IDF raised its alert level in the south and closed roads close to the border with the Gaza Strip to civilian vehicles over fears of sniper fire or anti-tank missile attacks.
PIJ is known to have anti-tank guided missiles and has targeted both civilian and military vehicles, killing Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
All roads heading west of route 232 had been closed in both directions, as well as Route 4 from the Zikim Junction to the Erez crossing, Route 34 from Yad Mordechai Junction to the Nir Am Crossing, and Route 232 from Nir Am to Kerem Shalom.
Zikim Beach, which lies just north of the Strip, has also been closed to visitors, and train service between Ashkelon and Sderot has been canceled. The Erez crossing, the main crossing between Israel and Gaza, has also been closed. In addition, the Black Arrow monument, Givat Kobi Lookout in Sderot, the Hill of the Bells (Givat Ha’Pamonim) in Nir Am, and Givat Nazmit in Mefalsim have also been closed.
Classes at Sapir College in Sderot will take place online until the end of the week.
According to Walla News, the IDF will conduct another situational assessment on Wednesday morning in order to decide whether or not to open the roads and restore train service in the south.
Hebrew media reports said that Egypt was trying to mediate with Hamas and PIJ in order to de-escalate the situation.
Though Israel insists that it is not interested in a new conflict with terror groups in the enclave, Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Tuesday that the IDF would respond forcefully should PIJ carry out an attack.
“Our policy is clear: whoever wants to work and live alongside us will, we extend a hand. With the second hand, we will smite whoever seeks to harm Israeli civilians and cause terror,” he said.