Why has Israel put West Bank under lockdown as it bombs Iran?

Israel has placed the occupied West Bank nether lockdown, sealing the entrances of cities and villages with robust gates and factual barriers, arsenic its forces bomb Iran.

The Israeli siege continued for a 3rd time connected Sunday, arsenic the subject intensifies its operations successful the Palestinian territory, wherever it has killed astatine slightest 943 Palestinians, much than 200 of them minors, according to the United Nations, since the warfare connected Gaza started connected October 7, 2023.

Palestinians successful the West Bank accidental the Israeli actions are aimed astatine annexing their lands and expanding amerciable settlements. An estimated 3 cardinal Palestinians unrecorded nether Israeli subject concern successful the West Bank.

Missiles launched from Iran towards Israel are seen from Tubas, occupied West Bank [Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]

Since January this year, determination person been ongoing Israeli operations successful 3 exile camps successful Jenin and Tulkarem areas of the West Bank. At slightest 137 Palestinians, including 27 children, person been killed this twelvemonth successful the West Bank, according to the UN.

But successful caller days, arsenic Israel strikes Iran and the second retaliates, the West Bank is nether a lockdown.

Here’s what you request to know:

What is Israel doing?

The Israeli subject is applying a lockdown.

In summation to closing up cities and villages, it is severely restricting the question of Palestinians by mounting up checkpoints, according to Al Jazeera analogous Nida Ibrahim, limiting introduction and exit to areas.

The subject has accrued its beingness successful the West Bank cities similar el-Bireh and Ramallah, according to Wafa, the Palestinian quality agency. Strict checkpoints are besides impeding question successful Nablus, Hebron, Qalqilya, and the Jordan Valley, wherever the checkpoints person disrupted the enactment of farmers and the transport of their produce.

“The ongoing closures person paralysed regular beingness crossed the West Bank, severely limiting mobility, restricting entree to indispensable services, and impacting economical activity,” Wafa reported.

Palestinians accidental attempts to attack the checkpoints person been met with unrecorded occurrence from Israeli soldiers successful immoderate places, portion successful others, stun grenades and teardrop state were deployed.

There are galore reports of injuries. In the Tulkarem exile camp, for example, a 16-year-old was reportedly changeable successful the limb by Israeli forces. They person besides conducted nighttime raids successful the West Bank, arresting astatine slightest 15 people, according to Wafa.

Ambulances are struggling to scope the wounded arsenic their question is besides being impeded.

“Even erstwhile we are granted Israeli subject support to move, we are detained astatine checkpoints for 3 to 4 hours earlier being allowed through,” said Fayez Abdel Jabbar, an ambulance driver. “This [Saturday] morning, 1 pistillate stayed 3 hours astatine 1 checkpoint. The lone mode we tin relation present is by transferring patients from 1 ambulance to different astatine these checkpoints.”

Even earlier the caller Israeli action, large Palestinian women reported that checkpoints could beryllium a substance of “life and death”.

Meanwhile, successful respective areas crossed the West Bank, Israeli soldiers person besides expelled dozens of families from their homes and turned them into subject positions.

The gates of an Israeli checkpoint are closed to vehicles successful Deir Sharaf, westbound of Nablus successful the occupied West Bank, connected June 13, 2025 [Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP]

Why is the West Bank nether siege?

Palestinians accidental it is being done to power them.

The Israeli authorities ramped up settlements and annexation of the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem successful 2024, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Office successful March this year.

An Israeli poster describes the lockdown arsenic preemptive, saying question volition beryllium restricted until further notice. It reads: “Terror lone brings decease and destruction.”

“Palestinians accidental they are the ones nether attack,” Ibrahim reported.

Qassim Awwad of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) colony portion said, since October 7, 2023, Israel has accrued the checkpoints and barriers successful the West Bank from 600 to 900. “Now they are utilizing this clip [war with Iran] to summation the lockdown connected Palestinians, turning them into isolated cantons separated from 1 another,” helium said.

Meanwhile, Israel connected Sunday killed astatine slightest 23 radical successful Gaza, including 11 waiting to get aid. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 55,297 Palestinians and wounded 128,426 others, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

An Israeli worker takes portion successful a raid successful Nablus, West Bank, June 10, 2025 [Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]

What astir settler violence?

It goes on.

“Settlers proceed attacking Palestinian homes and properties,” Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim reported. “Others exploit the siege to found and grow caller amerciable colony outposts.”

In the metropolis of Sderot past Thursday, Israeli furniture ministers and the government’s conjugation partners held a league wherever they pledged to annex the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi spoke successful favour of annexation, portion Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu reportedly called retired for the aforesaid successful Syria and Lebanon arsenic well.

“Do we privation Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]? Do we privation Syria? Do we privation Lebanon? Do we privation Gaza?” Eliyahu reportedly shouted to a assemblage that responded successful the affirmative.

Are Iran’s retaliatory attacks affecting Palestinians?

The nighttime skies of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan person been illuminated by the speech of missiles betwixt Iran and Israel since Friday.

As Israel tries to sprout down the Iranian missiles, immoderate of their remnants person landed successful the West Bank, where, dissimilar Israel, the residents person nary entree to weaponry shelters oregon protection. Dozens of Palestinians successful the territory person been wounded by intercepted missiles.

“Palestinians accidental they are caught betwixt the Iranian projectiles and Israeli missiles intercepting them,” Ibrahim said.

What is the PLO doing?

“The Palestinian authorities says it is moving to guarantee the introduction of nutrient and fuel,” Ibrahim added. “With Israel controlling astir each facet of their lives, Palestinians fearfulness their governments’ quality to assistance them is severely limited.”

A Palestinian antheral raises his hands arsenic Israeli soldiers purpose their weapons during a raid successful Nablus, West Bank, June 10, 2025 [Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]

Most of the planetary attraction successful the past fewer days has been connected the speech of strikes betwixt Israel and Iran.

But UNRWA, the UN bureau focused connected Palestinian refugees, said successful a connection connected Friday that the West Bank is “not a warzone”.

“It is governed by planetary standards and codes of behaviour for instrumentality enforcement, which Israeli forces person an work to uphold. Law enforcement exists for the intent of safeguarding quality rights, not violating them. It should question to support the astir vulnerable, not further victimise them. Above all, it should sphere quality dignity and life,” Roland Friedrich, manager of UNRWA affairs successful the West Bank, posted connected X.

For the past months, the bluish #WestBank has witnessed an uninterrupted watercourse of wide demolitions by Israeli Security Forces, and orders trying to warrant them. On 9 June, yet different demolition bid was issued: this clip for Jenin Camp, wherever a akin bid was announced…

— Roland Friedrich (@GRFriedrich) June 10, 2025