Skip to main content
Israel locks down whole West Bank
Collective punishment follows attacks

ISRAEL imposed a three-day lockdown on the occupied West Bank yesterday, punishing Palestinians collectively for Wednesday’s gun killings in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military said the West Bank would be closed off until the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ends at midnight on Sunday, except for “humanitarian” and medical cases and for some worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem.

Palestinian men over 45 and women of all ages were allowed access to the mosque for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan, but men between 35 and 45 needed permits from Israeli occupation forces and men younger than that were banned.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
ISRAEL-MADE FAMINE: Starving Palestinians at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, May 27 2026
Features / 11 June 2026
11 June 2026

While international attention focuses on ceasefire frameworks, Israel is openly advancing plans for a permanent expansion of its control over Gaza, writes RAMZY BAROUD

People inspect the damage at the Sheikh Radwan al-Taba UNRWA clinic following an Israeli army bombardment in Gaza City, August 6, 2025
Gaza / 6 August 2025
6 August 2025

Israeli media awash with leaks and rumours of Netanyahu’s plans to seize Gaza. Meanwhile, the unrelenting siege of Gaza continues unabated 

Christians celebrate the arrival of Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa (centre), after he crossed an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, December 24, 2018
Middle East / 18 July 2025
18 July 2025

‘We are unable to get them out, even in small pieces’: Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 35 people today, including four members of one family