Israeli army shuts checkpoints, blocks 104 teachers, disrupting schooling for 1,100 West Bank students

Israeli army shuts checkpoints, blocks 104 teachers, disrupting schooling for 1,100 West Bank students



Israeli soldiers and police close the Atara checkpoint, north of Ramallah in the West Bank. — AFP pic


Summary

• On September 20, the Israeli army closed two checkpoints in the northern West Bank, preventing 104 Palestinian teachers from reaching schools, thereby disrupting education for approximately 1,100 students.
• Additionally, Israeli forces raided the village of Al-Mughayyir, closing its main entrance and arresting several Palestinians, further affecting local employment and education.
• These military actions were part of broader Israeli military restrictions amid escalating violence in the region since the onset of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023.

First Published: Sunday, 20 Sep 2026 7:53 PM MYT


RAMALLAH, Sept 20 — The Israeli army has closed two checkpoints in the northern West Bank, preventing more than 100 Palestinian teachers from reaching schools, an education official said Sunday, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Azmi Balawneh, director of education in Tubas Governorate, said 104 teachers were unable to reach their schools after the army shut the Tayasir and Ein Shibli checkpoints in the northern Jordan Valley, the official news agency WAFA reported.

He said the closures disrupted classes at six schools and a kindergarten attended by around 1,100 students.

The Israeli army closed the two checkpoints as part of broader military restrictions across the occupied West Bank.


Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah in the central West Bank, closed its main entrance and arrested dozens of Palestinians, according to local sources.


The sources told Anadolu that a large Israeli military force raided the village early Sunday, deployed across its neighbourhoods and searched Palestinian homes, supported by infantry units, military vehicles and a drone.

The closure of the village’s main entrance disrupted school attendance and prevented workers and employees from reaching their workplaces, they added.


Al-Mughayyir has witnessed repeated Israeli raids and attacks amid escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the area.

Since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Israeli army and settlers have intensified attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. — Bernama-Anadolu