West Bank road closures and checkpoints are causing long delays, restricting medical care and disrupting daily life for Palestinians.
West Bank Road Closures Turn Short Trips Into Long Ordeals
Road closures and military checkpoints across the occupied West Bank are turning routine journeys into exhausting and sometimes life-threatening ordeals for Palestinians. Restrictions on roads, entrances and crossings are affecting access to hospitals, workplaces, schools and family homes.
For Mohammed Abu Hijleh, the consequences were devastating. His 66-year-old mother, Zahriya Abu Hijleh, died after suffering a medical emergency while attending a family wedding in Deir Istiya, northwest of Salfit.
Zahriya had been attending her niece’s wedding reception on September 20 when she suddenly became dizzy and collapsed. She was taken to the local medical centre, where doctors immediately ordered her transfer to Salfit Governmental Hospital, only about an eight-minute drive away.
But reaching the hospital became complicated because an iron gate at the entrance to the town was closed.
Mohammed requested an ambulance, but the vehicle was unable to enter Deir Istiya because of the closure. Instead, an ambulance from the local medical centre took his mother to the gate. She was then removed from the stretcher, carried on foot through the closed passage and transferred to another ambulance waiting on the opposite side.
Her family later said doctors determined that she had suffered a pulmonary embolism and needed urgent treatment.
Mohammed believes the delay contributed to her death.
“My mother was breathing her last,” he said, adding that the outcome might have been different if the gate had been open. He said she had no major health problems apart from diabetes.
West Bank Checkpoints Disrupt Daily Life
The network of Israeli military checkpoints, gates and roadblocks across the West Bank has become a major obstacle to Palestinian movement.
For many residents, even short journeys between neighbouring communities can take hours. Workers may struggle to reach their jobs, students can face delays getting to schools and universities, and patients may experience dangerous interruptions while travelling to medical facilities.
A wider closure of the West Bank is currently in place from September 27 to October 3, coinciding with the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Palestinians travelling between cities and villages say they are frequently forced to wait for long periods at checkpoints or search for alternative routes when roads are blocked.
Ibtihal Mansour, from Nablus, experienced this firsthand while returning from the village of al-Janiya near Ramallah.
Her family left at around 10am, expecting the journey to Nablus to take less than an hour. Instead, closures at the Atara and Ein Siniya checkpoints prevented them from continuing.
They attempted to find alternative roads west of Ramallah but encountered further restrictions. According to Mansour, a road between Ramallah and Nablus was also blocked, leaving traffic at a standstill.
The family spent more than 14 hours trying to find a way through.
Her children became exhausted and began crying after spending most of the day inside the vehicle. At another roadblock near al-Lubban Asharqiya, Mansour said a soldier ordered her to wake her children.
When her 11-year-old son did not immediately wake up, she said the soldier punched him on the head, causing him to wake up crying.
The family eventually had to abandon the journey and spend the night at a relative’s home in Ramallah before continuing toward Nablus the following morning.
Communities Turn Shelters Into Emergency Support
Families stranded by West Bank road closures are increasingly relying on relatives, hotels and temporary shelters.
In some communities, wedding halls and mosques have reportedly been converted into temporary accommodation for people unable to reach their destinations. Local residents have also provided food and other basic assistance to stranded travellers.
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission recorded 942 checkpoints, closure points and other obstacles across the occupied West Bank as of September 25. That figure was up from 793 recorded in March 2024.
United Nations humanitarian data estimates that the combined length of these obstacles is approximately 107.7 kilometres.
The restrictions have effectively fragmented Palestinian communities, making access to essential services dependent on whether roads and checkpoints are open.
Restrictions Tighten in Hebron and East Jerusalem
Movement restrictions have also intensified in Hebron, where Israeli settlers live in parts of the Old City.
The Ibrahimi Mosque has been closed to Palestinian worshippers during the current restrictions, while checkpoints and gates around the area have been tightened.
Residents say curfews and additional roadblocks have made movement through several neighbourhoods increasingly difficult.
Similar restrictions have affected occupied East Jerusalem, including access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
During Jewish holidays, Palestinian residents have reported increased restrictions on movement, while Israeli settlers have continued to enter religious sites under heavy security.
The closures have also affected businesses, schools and workplaces, disrupting ordinary life across Palestinian communities.
For residents, the impact extends far beyond inconvenience. A journey that should take minutes can become an overnight ordeal, while delays at checkpoints can have serious consequences for families, workers and people seeking urgent medical treatment.
As road closures and checkpoints continue to shape movement across the occupied West Bank, Palestinians face growing uncertainty over whether they can safely reach hospitals, schools, workplaces, relatives and places of worship
