Comprehensive Checkpoint Closure
On Friday, the Israeli army tightened its military measures at the entrances and exits of the occupied West Bank governorates, closing a large number of military checkpoints and iron gates in the south, center, and north of the West Bank, which hindered the movement and travel of Palestinians between cities and towns.
Local sources reported that Israeli forces closed entrances, checkpoints, and gates in towns and villages in the Hebron governorate in the south of the West Bank. In the Bethlehem governorate, forces closed the southern entrance to the city, the Jaba-Nahalin road connecting the two villages to the west, the main entrance to Wadi Fukin village to the west, and the entrance to Marah Rabah village to the south.
Measures in the Center and North
In the central West Bank, forces closed the northern entrance to Al-Bireh city, the Old Atara gate, and the entrances to Ruba, Al-Mughir, and Nabi Salih, in addition to the Qalandia military checkpoint and the entrances to Turmus Ayya and Singil. In the northern West Bank, forces closed the northern entrances to Salfit city, the towns of Kafr al-Dik, Jamma'in, Burqin, Burin, and Anabta, and the villages of Al-Muraybah, Deir Sharaf, Tayasir, Ein Shubli, and Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya.
Forces also set up military checkpoints and tightened entry and exit procedures, preventing citizens from leaving through several sites, including the Silwad-Yabrud checkpoint, Deir Dibwan east of Ramallah, and Jaba north of Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered on Friday the imposition of an "immediate" lockdown on the city of Hebron and preparations for a "comprehensive closure" across the entire occupied West Bank starting today.
Background of the Security Attack
The Israeli army announced the killing of two soldiers and the wounding of three in a shooting attack that occurred on Friday morning in the Hebron area in the south of the West Bank. Following the incident, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved imposing a security cordon around the city of Hebron and other villages in the area, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. Zamir claimed to have found a "large quantity of ammunition" inside the vehicle through which two Palestinians carried out the attack, and that "the rapid movement of soldiers prevented a more serious attack."
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that "two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire after a chase following the shooting," noting the imposition of a lockdown on Palestinian villages in the area. Israeli Channel 15 stated that the Palestinians killed by army fire "were 27 years old and belonged to Hamas." Palestinians warn that these practices pave the way for Israel's formal annexation of the West Bank, undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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