28-06-2025
'We only have one exit': Life under blockade in West Bank villages
There are currently nearly 900 movement obstacles in the West Bank, including checkpoints, concrete roadblocks, earthmounds, and, notably, iron gates locked at the entrances to Palestinian villages. The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA recorded 205 of these gates in May 2025, with most being closed or intermittently controlled by the Israeli army.
This policy of closure has intensified since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, and further, with the Israel-Iran war, making daily life for Palestinians even more challenging. In August 2023, OCHA documented 645 permanent obstacles across the West Bank, including 118 iron gates.
In January 2025, the Israeli army erected 18 new gates, obstructing access to major roads from Palestinian urban areas, according to The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.
'Here, in Ras Karkar, we only have one entry and exit point'
The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke with Hatem Nofal, head of the local emergency commission:
The gates are locked. The army moves from the gate of Dar Ammar to that of Khartbatha, and then elsewhere. These are constant patrols. Here, in Ras Karkar, we only have one entry and exit point, with no alternative routes. This road is very difficult and dangerous: the army can shoot, arrest, or leave you stranded for hours in your car.
Since the start of the Israel-Iran war, the gates have been completely closed. For instance, there is a total blockade at the Al-Askar gate. Cars cannot pass through. Only pedestrians are allowed to cross on foot. Within a 500-metre radius of Ras Karkar, five gates are closed, including at Ras Karkar, Deir Ammar, and Kharbatha Bani Harith. Residents have to walk between these gates, sometimes as far as 400-500 metres, and then get a car to go to Ramallah or to work.
The Palestinian villages of Ras Karkar and Al-Janiya, home to an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 residents combined, are surrounded by seven to nine Israeli settlements. These settlements include Talmon B, Dolev, Nerya, Harsha, Kerem Reim, and Zayit Raanan.
The entrance gate to Al-Janiya has been closed for over 15 years, because it is located less than 100 metres from an Israeli settlement.
The Israeli army maintains that this close proximity poses a risk of friction with settlers. The only remaining access for Al-Janiya residents is through Ras Karkar, which itself faces severe restrictions.
Colonial pressure significantly reduces the buildable land for Palestinians. Nofal says that out of 20 square kilometres, Israeli authorities have authorised only 600 square metres for construction.
In late May 2025, Israel announced the legalisation of 22 new outposts in the West Bank. At least two of them – Harsha and Zayit Raanan – directly impact the Ras Karkar region, being both located in the immediate vicinity of the village.
Their regularisation tightens the grip around Ras Karkar and intensifies movement restrictions.
'We have four ambulances prepared to be dispatched wherever there's a need'
With his group of volunteers, Nofal is working tirelessly to organise the delivery of food to Ras Karkar, as well as the transport of the sick to Ramallah hospital:
We've formed an emergency commission to support the population in times of need. In each village, we have groups of 10 to 30 people, depending on its size. We're connected by radio, ready to intervene in any emergency. We have four ambulances prepared to be dispatched wherever there's a need, such as in case of a fire or a medical issue. We work with local councils, Palestinian authorities, and sometimes even with the Israelis to allow the passage of essential goods like food, medicine, gas, and fuel.
Getting to Ramallah: an obstacle race
The nearest public hospital to Ras Karkar is in Ramallah, located 14 kilometres away. But getting there means walking 400 to 500 metres between several closed gates, then hoping to find a vehicle whenever possible.
Before, it would take barely 15 minutes to get to Ramallah hospital. Now, you have to walk between the gates, sometimes for 400 to 500 metres, and then find a car. It takes at least 45 minutes, sometimes longer if the army blocks the road or confiscates car keys.
Since vehicles cannot pass through the gates, Nofal says the goods must be transferred from vehicle to vehicle or carried by hand. Residents are at the mercy of the soldiers to allow essential supplies to pass.
We transfer food, medicine, and gas by hand, from one gate to another. Sometimes, we have to cross roads reserved for Israeli settlers, which is forbidden for us.
The case of Ras Karkar is emblematic of the fragmentation of the West Bank, where 900 obstacles – including over 200 locked iron gates – have been documented, and colonial expansion continues despite international condemnation.
