Israeli Checkpoints Paralyze West Bank as Medics Blocked and Ramallah Cut Off
Israel's tightened military checkpoints stranded Palestinians for up to six hours Tuesday while its forces shot a man and blocked medics from reaching him during a separate West Bank raid.
Israeli forces have tightened military checkpoints across the central West Bank, isolating Ramallah and leaving Palestinians stranded for hours, while a separate raid in another West Bank town left a Palestinian man shot and briefly cut off from medical care.
The checkpoint closures on Tuesday effectively cut off Ramallah, the administrative center of the Palestinian Authority, from surrounding areas, according to motorists who reported waiting up to six hours to pass [252519]. The restrictions disrupted travel, work and access to medical care, though the full impact on businesses and hospitals remained unclear [252519]. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reason for the tightened restrictions [252519].
Checkpoints are a daily feature of life in the West Bank, and Palestinians say the closures amount to collective punishment. Israel says they are needed for security [252519].
In a separate incident, Israeli forces raided a town in the occupied West Bank and shot a Palestinian man, briefly blocking medics from reaching him [252514]. The wounded man was eventually reached by medical teams [252514]. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the raid or the shooting [252514].
The closures and raid come amid a broader surge in Israeli military operations and settler activity across the West Bank. On September 2, the Israeli army demolished the village of Khirbet a-Taban in Masafer Yatta, an area Israel has declared a restricted military zone [249175]. Residents say the Israeli army has carried out more demolitions and Israeli settlers have harassed them more often since the October 7 Hamas attack [249175].