Ankara: The Israeli army has intensified its control over the Palestinian village of Al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank by sealing its only remaining entrance for 20 consecutive hours, an official disclosed to Anadolu.

According to Anadolu Agency, Amin Abu Aliya, who heads the Al-Mughayyir village council, reported that Israeli restrictions and attacks on the village's residents and farmers have seen a significant increase over the last 20 days. He highlighted that the closure of the village's sole entrance occurs routinely in the morning to prevent workers from reaching their jobs and later in the day to stop those outside from returning home. Abu Aliya emphasized that these measures are designed to force workers to remain outside the village, ultimately driving Palestinians away from the area.

The tension escalated on Friday when Israeli forces, accompanied by dozens of military and police vehicles as well as Israeli occupiers, raided Al-Mughayyir under the pretext that sheep belonging to an occupier had been stolen. Abu Aliya refuted this claim, noting that despite the false accusation, Israeli forces pursued Palestinian livestock owners, raided a home, and attempted to seize sheep, leading to confrontations that injured Palestinians. Since the raid, the village entrance has remained closed, even preventing ambulances and Civil Defense vehicles from entering during the closures.

Adding to the distress, while residents were dealing with the attacks in the southern part of the village on Friday, more than 50 Israeli occupiers infiltrated the northern area. They assaulted a Palestinian farmer and stole 25 sheep. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a warning earlier on Saturday, describing the situation in Al-Mughayyir as a 'suffocating siege' that has persisted for nearly 20 days. The ministry reported that Israeli forces control the village gates, occasionally permitting residents only two hours a day to enter or leave.

The ministry further stated that the restrictions and attacks by Israeli occupiers are aimed at isolating the village and creating conditions for forced displacement. On Friday, three Palestinians were injured during an occupier attack in Al-Mughayyir, and Israeli forces and occupiers obstructed an ambulance attempting to reach and transport the injured.

The occupied West Bank has witnessed an increase in Israeli military raids and attacks by Israeli occupiers on Palestinians since the conflict in the Gaza Strip erupted in October 2023.