West Bank closures disrupt travel and access to essential services
Restrictions during Sukkot have left travellers facing lengthy delays, with a commission reporting 942 checkpoints, closure points and other obstacles across the West Bank.
Israeli checkpoints, gates and road closures are disrupting Palestinian movement across the occupied West Bank during Sukkot, limiting access to medical care, work, schools and agricultural land. The current restrictions are in place from 27 September to 3 October.
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission counted 942 checkpoints, closure points and other obstacles as of 25 September, up from 793 in March 2024. The figure includes several types of obstruction, not checkpoints alone. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs data cited by Al Jazeera puts their combined length at about 107.7 kilometres.
The disruption can force travellers to wait for hours or abandon journeys. Ibtihal Mansour told Al Jazeera her family spent more than 14 hours trying to travel from near Ramallah to Nablus, then turned back and stayed overnight with relatives.
Zahriya Abu Hijleh’s family said a closed gate delayed her ambulance transfer to hospital after she collapsed in Deir Istiya on 20 September. Her son said the delay contributed to her death. The report cited no independent medical finding on the cause.
Al Jazeera also reported tightened restrictions in Hebron, including limits on Palestinian access to the Ibrahimi Mosque, and in occupied East Jerusalem, where movement and access to Al-Aqsa Mosque were restricted. Israeli authorities had not responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the closures and allegations in the report.
