Israeli Forces Close Atara Village Entrance, Heighten Checkpoints Near Ramallah

Gaza: Israeli occupation forces this morning closed the metal gate installed at the entrance to the village of Atara, north of Ramallah, severely disrupting Palestinian traffic in the area. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the closure of the Atara military gate forced drivers to take long and unpaved detour routes to reach their workplaces, schools, and universities. In a further escalation, Israeli forces also set up a military checkpoint near the illegal settlement of Halamish, built on land belonging to Palestinian residents of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah. Soldiers stopped several vehicles, searched them, and checked the identities of passengers, causing significant delays and obstruction to daily life. The Nabi Saleh entrance serves multiple communities, including the villages of Beit Rima, Deir Ghassaneh, Kafr 'Ein, and Qarawa, as well as the city of Salfit and nearby villages. According to a report issued in September by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the t otal number of Israeli military checkpoints and metal gates across the occupied West Bank has reached 910. Of these, 83 gates were installed since the beginning of 2025.