Ramallah:Israeli forces have continued to seal off major military checkpoints around the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, as well as the entrances to nearby villages and towns.
According to Palestine news & Information Agency, the forces closed Atara and Ein Sinya checkpoints, located north of Ramallah, and also shut the gates at the entrances to Rawabi city and the villages of Nabi Saleh and Taybeh. Additionally, a checkpoint was erected on the Yabrud-Silwad road to the northeast, leading to significant traffic congestion and leaving hundreds of Palestinian travelers stranded since last night.
The Jaba' checkpoint, situated northeast of Jerusalem, remains closed, resulting in a backlog of vehicles that has reached the entrance of al-Ram town. This has forced many commuters to spend the night in their vehicles.
These military measures have intensified across the occupied West Bank following the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners as part of a Gaza ceasefire that began on January 19, 2025. The restrictions have been further tightened under the pretext of the Israeli-Iranian war, effectively isolating cities and governorates with military gates, barriers, and concrete blocks.
The Israeli military's actions are accompanied by ongoing attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, aimed at displacing Palestinians and establishing illegal Jewish settlements that fragment Palestinian communities.
Israel employs a complex network of approximately 898 fixed and flying checkpoints and gates to restrict Palestinian movement within the occupied West Bank. This includes 18 gates installed since the start of 2025, 146 others following events on October 7, 2023, settler-only roads, over 200 military bases, and various other physical barriers. These closures and security measures are seen as a means to solidify Israel's long-standing military occupation of the West Bank and its settler colonial agenda, often enforced with routine and lethal violence against Palestinians.