Forty-seven Palestinian families in the northern occupied West Bank have been given until Sunday evening to leave their homes, after a 27-day blockade, according to the head of a Palestinian rights group.
Hassan Mleihat, who heads “Al-Baydar”, told Anadolu Agency on Saturday that the families faced an uncertain future after weeks of road closures isolated the Ras al-Ahmar community southeast of Tubas.
Mleihat said the deadline had heightened residents’ fears about whether they could remain on their land and protect their livelihoods. He called on rights groups, humanitarian organisations and international bodies to intervene urgently, protect residents and their property, and end the blockade.
The Israeli army closed the last remaining route linking Ras al-Ahmar with surrounding areas in September, after other dirt roads leading to the community had already been blocked.
Resident Thaer Bisharat told Anadolu Agency that restrictions had intensified over the past three years, reaching a critical point when Israeli forces dug a trench across the community’s final access route.
He said the move had effectively surrounded the community with trenches, walls and military zones.
More than 14,742 attacks have been carried out in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission. The attacks have killed 66 Palestinians, the commission said.