Israel to close Gaza and West Bank access for election

The Israeli army announced that access points to Israel from the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank will be closed for 24 hours on Tuesday as Israel holds a general election.

The decision to close all checkpoints and crossings from midnight Monday night was based on "security evaluations", the military said in a statement on Sunday. They would only open for humanitarian and medical cases, it added.

Polling starts at 7:00 am on Tuesday and ends at 10:00 pm in Israel's closely fought parliamentary election.

Israel usually shuts its borders with the Palestinian territories on public holidays in order to prevent possible attacks.    (AFP)