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Tightened Israeli military closures around Ramallah and Al-Bireh have left thousands of Palestinians stranded for hours, restricting major routes into and out of the central occupied West Bank cities, according to Anadolu Agency.
Long queues of vehicles have repeatedly formed in recent days at Atara, Ein Sinya, Jaba and other checkpoints. Some Palestinians said they reached home only after midnight.
An Anadolu team observed continued closures and heavy congestion at several entrances to Ramallah on Monday, severely disrupting movement between the city and nearby towns and villages.
Long delays at checkpoints
Malik Anas, who was travelling from Ramallah to his home in Qalqilya, became stranded at the closed Atara checkpoint northwest of the city.
He told Anadolu that he waited for about six hours before Israeli forces reopened the checkpoint after midnight. Thousands of Palestinian vehicles were held there, while other travellers reported reaching home as late as 2 a.m. after prolonged waits and diversions.
The restrictions have also affected access to medical care. Palestinian activist Aayed Ghafari documented a patient being moved from a private vehicle to an ambulance at Atara on Monday after being unable to pass through the checkpoint.
“The occupation army has deliberately been closing Ramallah’s entrances for days and preventing residents from passing in their vehicles,” Ghafari told Anadolu, saying the measures had disrupted daily life and work.
Closures affect key routes
Palestinians have linked the tighter restrictions to Jewish holidays, while Israel says the measures are imposed for security reasons.
Recent closures have affected several main routes connecting Ramallah with other parts of the occupied West Bank. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported closures at Atara and Ein Sinya, as well as at the entrances to Aboud and Nabi Saleh, alongside tighter restrictions around Yabrud and Jaba.
On Sunday, thousands of vehicles were stranded around Ramallah and the northern outskirts of occupied East Jerusalem as restrictions affected several crossings and roads at the same time.
Movement barriers across the West Bank
The Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate has 160 permanent checkpoints and closure points, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission. The figure is second only to Hebron, which has 221.
Across the occupied West Bank, the commission has recorded 942 checkpoints, closures and other obstacles to movement.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said such barriers can force Palestinians to take longer routes and restrict access to workplaces, schools, hospitals and other essential services.
For Palestinians living around Ramallah, journeys that normally take minutes can now last for hours, depending on which checkpoint is open.
