Israel began the process of shutting down Sunday afternoon for Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, which will begin at sundown and end Monday night.

The Day of Atonement came amid violence across the region.

In the West Bank, just hours before the start of Yom Kippur, a man in his 30s was killed in a terror attack when a gunman opened fire on Israelis who had gathered for the traditional practice of immersing in a natural spring ahead of the holiday. The IDF began a manhunt for the alleged terrorist responsible.

Separately, the army said troops shot dead a Palestinian who allegedly attempted to ram forces in the West Bank with his vehicle.

Meanwhile, tensions persisted in the war between the US and Iran, and fighting continued between the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and a Saudi-led coalition.

Israeli soldiers remain deployed in Gaza, southern Lebanon, and southwestern Syria, and settler violence has surged in the West Bank, where the Jewish holidays have previously been a time of heightened tension. The holiday season began with Rosh Hashanah 10 days ago, and will continue through Simchat Torah on October 3.

But for Israel, it was the first year since 2023 when Yom Kippur arrived without major fighting on any front; Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack took place less than two weeks after the holiday that year. This is also the first Yom Kippur in more than a decade that no Israelis are held captive in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it was ramping up its forces on all fronts ahead of the fast day, with additional companies deployed in the Northern, Southern, and Central commands, and a senior officer on duty in each sector during the holiday.

A senior commander told Channel 13 that the situation in Gaza was “calm” but said the IDF “would not get complacent.” The commander said the........

© The Times of Israel