Israel Imposes Total Lockdown on West Bank, Detains Dozens
Israeli occupation forces have intensified their military lockdown across the occupied West Bank for the third consecutive day, closing nearly all entrances and exits to cities, towns, and villages, while carrying out widespread raids and arrests.
According to reports, Israeli forces have blocked major roads with concrete blocks and metal gates, severely restricting the movement of Palestinians. Simultaneously, a large-scale arrest campaign has swept through several districts, with dozens of young men detained.
In occupied Jerusalem, all access points to surrounding towns remain shut. On Sunday at dawn, Israeli forces stormed Shu'fat refugee camp in northeast Jerusalem and arrested two young men after raiding their homes. In the town of Abu Dis, southeast of the city, soldiers reportedly assaulted youths during field interrogations and stormed several homes.
In Ramallah and al-Bireh, Israeli troops reinforced their presence at key entrances, erecting military checkpoints and closing routes to several surrounding villages, including Rawabi, Ras Karkar, Deir Ammar, Turmus Ayya, and Sinjil. The main entrance to the town of al-Taybeh was also sealed.
Nablus continues to be encircled by Israeli checkpoints. Soldiers closed off most village gates around the city and targeted civilian vehicles with sound bombs and tear gas, particularly near the Deir Sharaf checkpoint. Only two narrow routes—through Askar refugee camp and the town of al-Badhan—remain partially accessible.
In Qalqilya, occupation forces shut the city's eastern entrance and locked gates leading to villages east of the city, including Nabi Elias, Immatin, and Hajja, restricting residents' movement.
Al-Khalil faced the most extensive crackdown. Israeli troops sealed the main entrance to Idhna, barred movement on bypass roads, and closed all dirt paths leading in and out of the city. They detained at least 19 Palestinians on Sunday alone from across Hebron governorate, raiding neighborhoods, commercial shops, and homes in the process.
In Idhna, detainees included Mohammad Abdulaziz al-Batran, Raafat Rashid al-Batran, Khattab Ismail al-Nattah, brothers Mohammad and Akram al-Fseisi, and Omar al-Nattah. Additional arrests took place in other areas of Al-Khalil, including the towns of Sa'ir and al-Dhahiriya, where dozens more were seized.
Meanwhile, in the northern Jordan Valley, the Israeli military continues to block the Hamra and Tayasir checkpoints in both directions for the third day in a row. The closures are severely affecting residents, especially farmers trying to reach their lands or transport agricultural products to markets.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society and the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said in a joint statement that over 40 Palestinians were arrested between Saturday night and Sunday morning, including minors and former detainees. Most of the arrests were concentrated in Hebron, with others in Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.
Since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, approximately 17,500 Palestinians have been arrested across the West Bank. This figure includes those later released and does not account for thousands more detained in Gaza. The groups noted that arrests are increasingly accompanied by field interrogations, beatings, destruction of property, and even extrajudicial executions, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarm.
The ongoing campaign has sparked fears among Palestinians of further escalations, with many communities effectively cut off and under siege.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=64804
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Days of Palestine
6 hours ago
- Days of Palestine
Israel's Civil-Military Nexus: How Israeli Military Shields itself in Civilian Areas
DayofPal– Tensions continue to rise between Iran and Israel following a series of cross-border strikes between, but the attacks raise questions about Israeli military's longstanding practice of using its civilians as human shields. Despite frequent accusations that Palestinian fighters are working from aming civilians, a growing body of evidence reveals that Israel itself has woven its military operations deeply into the urban fabric of its cities. From Tel Aviv to Be'er Sheva, it places command centers, intelligence units, and key defense personnel in or near residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and commercial zones. At the center of this issue stands HaKirya, Israel's central military headquarters located in Tel Aviv. Nestled within the city's bustling core, the base houses the IDF's General Staff and the Ministry of Defense inside the towering 17-story Matcal Tower. Just meters away lie the Azrieli shopping complex, Ichilov Hospital, and the HaShalom train station, all emblematic of Tel Aviv's civilian life. The office of the IDF's chief of staff is situated only 450 meters from hospital wards. This strategic proximity is no coincidence, analysts suggest. Rather, it is a calculated move that integrates military operations into civilian zones, complicating potential enemy targeting and raising concerns under international humanitarian law. Similar configurations exist across Israel. In Ramat Gan, the sprawling Sheba Medical Center lies adjacent to the Tel Hashomer military base. In Haifa, the Israeli navy operates from a base positioned directly behind Rambam Medical Center. Even Israel's secretive nuclear capabilities, widely believed to be housed at Sdot Micha Airbase near Beit Shemesh, are surrounded by rural farming communities, further blending military infrastructure into seemingly innocuous civilian settings. The integration of Israel's military infrastructure into residential areas is not limited to buildings. Many of Israel's top military and political leaders live in civilian neighborhoods. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence is located in Jerusalem's Talbieh neighborhood, while the defense minister resides in Moshav Kfar Ahim. The IDF's chief of staff lives in Hod HaSharon, another civilian area. Critics argue that this deliberate placement reflects a deeper strategy, one that blurs the line between civilian and combatant, not just physically, but ideologically. 'The entire society is mobilized,' said a Middle East security expert who spoke on condition of anonymity. 'Military service is universal, and many civilians are directly involved in supporting or enabling military operations. The result is a society where civilian life and military strategy are tightly interwoven.' This interweaving extends into the occupied West Bank. Settlements, often allegedly viewed as civilian outposts, are strategically placed in volatile areas and frequently host both military and ideological leaders. Rabbis, community heads, and former officers play dual roles, spiritual guide and political actor, shaping narratives that justify expansion and confrontation, while insulating themselves from accountability. Even Israel's most advanced intelligence units are based near dense civilian areas. Glilot Base, home to Unit 8200-the IDF's elite cyber surveillance division, sits just two kilometers from northern Tel Aviv neighborhoods. Palmachim Airbase, a key site for drone operations and missile testing, is only 10–12 kilometers from residential communities in Yavne and Greater Tel Aviv. While Israeli officials have long condemned Hamas and Hezbollah for operating in urban zones, they rarely acknowledge that their own command centers function from cityscapes filled with civilians. Israel's military infrastructure reveals a strategic pattern of embedding critical defense facilities within or near civilian areas. HaKirya, the headquarters of the IDF and the Ministry of Defense, sits at the heart of Tel Aviv, surrounded by malls, hospitals, and major transport hubs. Nearby, Matcal Tower, an intelligence and communications center, rises from the city's dense urban core. Glilot Base, home to the elite cyber surveillance Unit 8200, lies less than two kilometers from residential neighborhoods. Palmachim Airbase, a hub for drone and missile testing, is located just 10 to 12 kilometers from populated zones such as Yavne and Greater Tel Aviv. Even Israel's suspected nuclear storage facility at Sdot Micha Base is surrounded by quiet agricultural villages near Beit Shemesh. This proximity of military targets to civilian areas raises serious concerns about the deliberate intertwining of defense operations with civilian life, potentially placing non-combatants at risk during times of wars. The juxtaposition raises critical legal and ethical questions under the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit using civilian infrastructure to shield military targets. Human rights observers and military analysts alike warn that this civil-military fusion could make Israeli civilians de facto participants in military operations, a dangerous and potentially unlawful strategy that affords to civilians. 'Embedding command and control in civilian areas creates not just tactical complexity, but also legal and moral ambiguity,' said a legal analyst with a Geneva-based NGO. 'It raises real questions about proportionality, distinction, and the protection of non-combatants.' Israel maintains that its military complies with international law, emphasizing its efforts to minimize harm to civilians. Yet that the very architecture of Israel's defense strategy, one that locates bases among schools, hospitals, and homes, undermines those claims. Shortlink for this post:
Days of Palestine
11 hours ago
- Days of Palestine
Israel Kills 72 in 24 Hours as Gaza Genocide Enters Day 617
The Israeli war machine continues its assault on the Gaza Strip for the 617th consecutive day, escalating what Palestinian sources describe as a campaign of genocide against civilians. Amid a suffocating blockade, dozens more were killed Sunday as Israeli forces carried out fresh massacres, primarily targeting displaced Palestinians searching for food aid. At least 26 Palestinians, most of them aid seekers, were killed early Sunday in multiple Israeli attacks across the besieged territory. In the past 24 hours alone, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire have killed more than 72 people in various parts of Gaza. In one attack, one person was killed and several others were injured when Israeli forces shelled the Asdaa area northwest of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Elsewhere, Hussein Osama Abu Hasira was killed in a direct artillery strike on an apartment along Salah al-Din Street in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. According to medical sources at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, 13 bodies were transferred to the hospital Sunday morning. The victims were identified as: Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Darwish, Subhi Muhammad Subhi Al-Sha'er, Shadi Ahmad Muhammad Qudeir, Hassan Muhammad Muhammad Qudeir, Fatima Muhammad Suleiman Awadallah, Amal Yasser Abdulaziz Abu Anza, Ahmad Kamel Ahmad Al-Ghalban, Hamza Nabil Muhammad Othman, Amina Eid Sami Al-Mallaha, Ghina Basel Mahmoud Abu Ishaq, Muhammad Jihad Salman Qabalan, Taher Hussein Ahmad Al-Satari, and Khaled Muhammad Youssef Al-Falit. Local sources confirmed that three people were killed near a food aid distribution point in Netzarim, central Gaza, while two others were killed near another aid site in Rafah, in the south. Four Palestinians were killed at the aid truck entry route in Sudaniya, northwest of Gaza City, and three others were killed in an Israeli strike on a crowd in Beit Lahiya. Seven more bodies were transferred to Al-Shifa Medical Complex after Israeli attacks in Al-Tawam and Beit Lahiya early Sunday. Meanwhile, three more victims were taken to Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, also killed while waiting for food aid near the Netzarim corridor. Israeli naval forces opened fire on displaced civilians along Al-Rashid Street west of Gaza City, killing one and injuring several others as they waited for food. Additional injuries were reported from shelling that targeted people waiting for aid east of Deir al-Balah and northwest of Gaza City. Israeli artillery also struck southeastern Deir al-Balah, adding to the rising toll of casualties in the central Gaza Strip. As the war on Gaza grinds on with no end in sight, Palestinians face mounting death, starvation, and despair—trapped in what humanitarian organizations are increasingly calling one of the world's worst ongoing atrocities.
Days of Palestine
11 hours ago
- Days of Palestine
Mass Protests Erupt Across European Capitals against Gaza Genocide
DaysofPal- Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in several major European cities on Saturday, protesting the continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. Mass rallies were held in Paris, Madrid, and dozens of other Spanish cities, Berlin, Brussels, and the UK city of Manchester, with participants expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and demanding an immediate ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and held signs condemning the atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian population. Demonstrators also called for an end to double standards in international policy and urged that Israel be held accountable for its crimes, particularly the massacres of children and civilians. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, ignoring international pleas and defying orders by the International Court of Justice to halt the assault. The onslaught has resulted in approximately 180,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of them women and children, in addition to over 11,000 missing persons, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of a majority of Gaza's population. Shortlink for this post:
