Israeli Police, Army Raise Alert Level for Passover

Israel's police raised the alert level nationwide, while the army division deployed around Gaza said it was "ready for every scenario" as the Jewish state prepared for the feast of Passover.

"Thousands of police have been deployed across the whole country, and particularly in the Jerusalem region," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Agence France Presse.

No specific attack threats have been made public, but Israeli security is usually tightened during major Jewish holidays.

Surveillance of synagogues, markets, stations, commercial centers and national parks, which tend to attract throngs of visitors during the Passover holiday, was being stepped up.

Police were also strengthening their deployment inside Jerusalem's Old City to ensure the protection of crowds of Christian pilgrims in town to celebrate Easter, Rosenfeld said.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, announced Sunday a nine-day closure of the West Bank during the holiday, and the deputy commander of the army division deployed along the Gaza Strip said his troops were on standby.

"We are on very high alert on the Gaza Strip, we are ready for every scenario and if necessary we will respond with force," Colonel Amir Avivi told Israeli public radio.

The weeklong Jewish festival of Passover, marking the biblical Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, begins at sunset on Monday and lasts for a week.