GAZA, April 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The Israeli security forces decided on Friday to prevent Palestinians aged 16-35 from leaving the Gaza Strip for abroad.

A Palestinian public security spokesman said that the Israeli decision to prevent the Palestinians from traveling abroad "would harden the daily life of the residents and would affect students who study abroad."

Israel has been imposing a strict closure on the Gaza Strip and prevents Palestinians from leaving the densely populated Gaza Strip for Israel or the West Bank.

The Palestinians aged between 16 and 35, who represent about 80 percent of the overpopulated Gaza Strip community, would be also prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip through the Rafah terminal, the only exit on the borders between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which is controlled by Israel.

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