The Jewish Passover/Pesach holiday has imposed further restrictions on the residents of Hebron. All of the gates allowing entrance to and exit from the Old City souq on its east side were locked or barred shut to Palestinian residents and non-Jewish international visitors.

The closure caused significant difficulties for teachers and pupils.  A woman—widely known as the “ladder lady”— whose house is on Shuhada Street, along which the Jewish worshippers walk, allowed Palestinians to use her house for getting in and out of the souq (market).