JERUSALEM, March 28 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli army spokesperson announced Wednesday that a 10-day closure will be imposed on the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, starting on Thursday, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

All points of entry between the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel will be closed beginning on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. until next Saturday, April 7, at midnight, the military said.

The blockade was decided after "an evaluation of the security situation and the approval of the political echelon," a military spokesperson said without elaborating.

"During the closure, only passage of exceptional medical humanitarian cases will be allowed, subjected to the approval of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories," the spokesperson added.

Violence between Israel and Gaza has been on the rise since U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6.

On Friday, mass demonstrations are expected to begin in Gaza. The protest is planned to culminate with a march to the fence separating between the besieged Palestinian enclave and Israel on May 15, Israel's Independence Day and the Palestinian's day of "the Nakba," or the catastrophe.