Israeli military closures isolate Ramallah, strand Palestinians for hours

Tightened Israeli military closures around Ramallah and Al-Bireh have stranded thousands of Palestinians for hours, restricting key routes into and out of the central occupied West Bank cities.

Long vehicle queues have formed repeatedly at Atara, Ein Sinya, Jaba and other checkpoints in recent days, with some Palestinians reaching home only after midnight.

An Anadolu team observed continued closures and heavy congestion Monday at several entrances to Ramallah, severely disrupting movement between the city and surrounding towns and villages.

Malik Anas was returning from Ramallah to his home in Qalqilya when he became stuck at the closed Atara checkpoint northwest of the city.

He told Anadolu that he waited around six hours before Israeli forces reopened the checkpoint after midnight.

Thousands of Palestinian vehicles were held there, he said, while others reported reaching their homes as late as 2 am after lengthy waits and diversions.

The restrictions have also disrupted access to medical care.

Palestinian activist Aayed Ghafari documented a patient being transferred from a private vehicle to an ambulance at Atara on Monday after being unable to cross 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.

Palestinians have linked the tighter restrictions to Jewish holidays, while Israel says such measures are imposed for security reasons.

Recent closures have affected several main routes linking Ramallah with the rest of the occupied West Bank.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported closures at Atara and Ein Sinya and 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 hit several crossings and roads simultaneously.

The Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate has 160 permanent checkpoints and closure points, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, second only to Hebron with 221.

Across the occupied West Bank, the commission has recorded 942 checkpoints, closures and other movement obstacles.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said such barriers can force Palestinians onto longer routes and disrupt access to workplaces, schools, hospitals and other essential services.

For Palestinians around Ramallah, journeys that normally take minutes can now stretch into hours, depending on which checkpoint is open.