NABLUS, March 12, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers stationed in at the Beit Furik checkpoint east of Nablus Saturday prevented five Palestinian dialysis patients from reaching hospitals in the city of Nablus.

The Israeli army closed off Nablus and surrounding areas, preventing entry or leaving them, following the stabbing death of five Israelis in a nearby settlement the night before.

Nasr Abu Jesh, head of village council of Bait Dajan, a village east of Beit Furik, said that Israeli forces banned entrance to the city turning back patients on their way to hospitals in Nablus for dialysis treatment.

“Patients desperately need to have dialysis, and prohibiting them from reaching the hospitals seriously threatens their lives,” he said. Abu Jesh called on the Red Cross and the Palestinian Red Crescent to take immediate action to help the patients.

Meanwhile, Najah University in Nablus Saturday cancelled second term exams due to the closure imposed on the city after hundreds of students and teachers coming from neighboring villages and cities were not able to reach the university.

R.Q./M.A.