Israel shut down beginning Tuesday afternoon for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, as security forces remain on high alert for the holiday amid a spike in terror warningsahead of the holiday.
All flights in and out of Ben Gurion airport ceased at 2:00 p.m on Tuesday. The airport will reopen Wednesday night with arrivals starting at 10:30 p.m., while departures will resume an hour later. During this period Israel’s air space is also closed to flights passing through.
Border crossings were also shut and will reopen late Wednesday.
Trains stopped operating at 1:00 p.m. and will only resume on Thursday morning, as inner-city buses and inter-city transport also halted their routes starting at 2:00 p.m. They will gradually restart Wednesday evening.
As sundown approached, all local radio and television broadcasts also gradually fell silent.
Roads will largely clear of cars by early Tuesday evening as is the national tradition — to be replaced with multitudes of people on bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles. Driving during the Jewish Day of Atonement is considered taboo, and many secular Israelis have turned the day into a biking holiday, taking advantage of the car-free roads.
For religious and traditional Jews, the 25-hour period of fasting and praying is set to begin at 5:45 p.m. in Jerusalem and 6:01 p.m. in Tel Aviv. It will end on Wednesday at 6:55 p.m. and 6:57 p.m., respectively.
Meanwhile, security and rescue services will remain on high alert throughout the day. The IDF will also impose a closure on the West Bank and Gaza, a standard practice over Jewish and Israeli holidays.
Security officials have received more than 80 warnings or intelligence tips about possible terror attacks as Jewish Israelis prepare to observe the fast day, according to Hebrew-language media reports. The number is higher than last year when two Palestinian security prisoners were on the run following a prison escape, and security forces were grappling with a spate of stabbing attacks.
The security alerts came as Israel faces several security challenges amid the High Holiday season. Israeli troops have come under increasing gunfire during raids in the West Bank, and there have been repeated clashes in recent weeks between security forces and Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the Old City. Additionally, there were also several failed shooting attacks targeting Israelis in the West Bank last week.
According to Channel 13 news on Monday, 26 military battalions received reinforcement over Yom Kippur and thousands of Israeli soldiers will remain in the West Bank and along the security barrier. The majority of their work involves securing the flow of traffic ahead of the holiday and providing security to West Bank settlements throughout the day, according to the report.
For the Magen David Adom Rescue service and other paramedics, Yom Kippur is one of the busiest days of the year with hundreds of extra medics, paramedics, ambulances and volunteers deployed across the country.
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