Israeli security forces were on high alert Tuesday as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank marked Prisoners' Day.
Hamas has urged mass protests near the border with Israel, as well as across the West Bank.
The military shuttered the crossings between Israel and Gaza and imposed a closure on Judea and Samaria, two security measures that are routinely employed ahead of Prisoners' Day.
The closure is scheduled to be lifted on Thursday night, pending a security situation assessment. Exceptions will be made for humanitarian cases and medical emergencies, the IDF said.
Defense officials estimated that a relatively low number of protesters would arrive at the Gaza border, despite the rising tensions on the security fence, further aggravated on Sunday when the IDF discovered and destroyed a cross-border Hamas terror tunnel.
Large military forces, including sappers and snipers, are deployed near the Israel-Gaza border and an IDF official said the troops are ready for any scenario.
Still, the IDF predicts only a few thousand protesters, possibly only 1,000, will arrive at the security fence.
"The IDF is gearing up for a routine day at the border. Our focus is on Memorial Day [for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism] and we will remain vigilant," he said.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai said Monday that Israel has issued a warning to the owners of bus companies in Gaza demanding they refrain from shuttling protesters to the border.
"We have warned them not to help Hamas operatives and rioters to arrive at the Gaza security fence. We have discovered that so far, 14 Gaza companies drove Hamas operatives and rioters to the fence and they have been sanctioned," Mordechai said.
Meanwhile, the residents of the Gaza border-adjacent communities have been dealing with a new phenomenon in recent days: kites armed with firebombs that are sent from Gaza to crash over the border.
Last week, dozens of acres of land were burned in communities in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, as a result of such kite crashes. Local residents were able to extinguish the flames before the firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported.
Also on Monday, the Jerusalem District Police arrested three residents of east Jerusalem who are suspected of burning Israeli flags.
The police said in a statement that they "will respond with determination against any attempt to damage state symbols."
