Azzun village sealed off by Israeli forces for 19th day

The main entrance of the Azzun village, in the northern occupied West Bank district of Qalqiliya, has remained sealed off by Israeli forces for 19 consecutive days, according to local sources on Sunday, Ma’an News has reported.

Israeli forces sealed off the village’s main entrance with large cement blocks 19 days ago, preventing passage in both directions and forcing Palestinian residents to take a different route to reach other districts.

The Israeli army claimed that the seal off was in response to Palestinian youths cutting a piece of the Israeli-erected electric fence.

However, locals confirmed that the main goal is illegal Israeli settlement expansion in the area.

Azzun is surrounded on all sides by areas under Israeli military control and an Israeli settlement bloc sits directly to the south. It has one of the highest rates of detainees per capita of all villages in the occupied West Bank, including many children.

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