47 Palestinian families face forced displacement amid Israeli blockade

Forty-seven Palestinian families face forced displacement from a village in the northern occupied West Bank, where four families have already fled following threats by armed Israeli occupiers, a Palestinian body said Monday. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said armed occupiers stormed homes in Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar, southeast of Tubas, and threatened residents with death, forcing four families to leave. The village has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly a month, with access roads closed and restrictions on water and livestock feed supplies, threatening residents' livelihoods, the commission said. Restrictions intensified in mid-September when Israeli forces dug a trench across the village's last remaining access road, forcing residents to collect water at night and travel before dawn to avoid detention. The commission also reported that Israeli authorities demolished six water wells, confiscated pumps and repeatedly cut water lines serving the village. On Oct. 10, Israeli occupiers gave the 47 families until the following evening to leave their homes. The commission warned that continued restrictions could force more families to flee and pave the way for the seizure of their land. It cited similar incidents elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, including Jalud near Nablus, where a Palestinian family was forced from its home after months of attacks, and Wadi al-Rakhim near Hebron, where a family of 10 was confined to its home by Israeli restrictions. The commission called for the reopening of access roads, the restoration of essential supplies and the protection of residents from further attacks. Since October 2023, the commission has documented 14,742 attacks across 376 Palestinian villages and communities in the occupied West Bank, saying Israeli occupiers have killed 67 Palestinians during that period.