Israeli roadblocks disrupt schools and medical care in West Bank village

What the report says

Residents of Madama, a village south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, say an Israeli army blockade has left them cut off from schools, medical care, work and farmland. According to Al Jazeera’s report published on 23 October 2026, Israeli forces sealed the village’s four entrances with earthen barriers on 11 October, citing security reasons, and briefly reopened one entrance on 20 October and again on Thursday before closing it later. The restrictions were described as affecting more than 2,500 residents.

Local officials and residents told Al Jazeera that the closures have made routine travel difficult or impossible, including access to Ramallah, hospitals and nearby villages. A village doctor said transporting a heart attack patient to hospital took more than two hours instead of the usual 15 minutes. School administrators also reported major disruption, with classes shifting to remote learning for several days and teachers and pupils sometimes crossing barriers on foot to reach classrooms.

The article says the blockade has coincided with Israeli bulldozing activity and damage to agricultural land, including the uprooting of olive trees during the harvest season. Village representatives linked the pressure to nearby Israeli settlements and road restrictions, saying farmers have been blocked from their land and some residents have had to leave vehicles outside the village. Al Jazeera said it sought comment from the Israeli military but had not received a response.