Jerusalem: Israeli occupation forces on Thursday sealed off the entrance of Mikhmas village, northeast of the occupied West Bank city of Jerusalem, according to the Jerusalem Governorate. The occupying forces closed the metal gate at the entrance of the village, obstructing Palestinians' movement.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency, Israeli colonists attacked Palestinian-licensed vehicles near the village entrance. There were no reported injuries or damage. The occupation forces have been tightening military measures across the occupied West Bank since hours after the release of the first batch of Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire went into effect in January 2025. This has led to the dismemberment and isolation of cities and governorates from one another using military gates, barriers, and concrete blocks.
The military measures severely restrict Palestinians' freedom of movement within the occupied West Bank through a combination of approximately 898 fixed and flying checkpoints and gates. This includes 18 gates installed since the start of 2025 and 146 others installed in the aftermath of October 7, 2023. These are in addition to settler-only roads, over 200 military bases, and various other physical obstructions.
The Israeli military measures occur alongside ongoing attacks by Israeli colonists across the West Bank, aiming to displace Palestinians and seize their lands to build illegal Jewish colonies that separate Palestinian communities. The closures and other measures, taken under the guise of security, are intended to entrench Israel's 59-year-old military occupation of the West Bank and its settler colonial project, enforced with routine and frequently deadly violence against Palestinians.