QALQILYA, August 31, 2026 (WAFA) — Maysaa Omar
Israeli forces have continued, for the sixth consecutive day, to close the entrance to the village of Nabi Elias, east of Qalqilya, with an iron gate, restricting the movement of approximately 60,000 residents from the village and surrounding towns and villages and paralyzing commercial activity along the main road, which contains around 200 industrial, commercial, and service establishments.
Nabi Elias Village Council Secretary Louay Khalif told WAFA that the closure has restricted the movement of approximately 60,000 residents from the village and neighboring communities, while also affecting thousands of vehicles each day, including private cars, commercial vehicles, and public transportation.
The entrance to Nabi Elias is a vital route and a main outlet for residents traveling to and from the governorates of Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Nablus.
Khalif explained that the alternative route residents are forced to take adds approximately 40 kilometers to their journeys and requires an additional 30 to 40 minutes compared with the usual route, further worsening their economic hardship.
He added that the continued closure has compounded residents' difficulties, particularly because the main road running through the village contains around 200 industrial, commercial, and service establishments employing approximately 400 local workers, with an average of two workers per establishment. This has brought commercial activity to a standstill and caused business owners financial losses due to the difficulty customers face in reaching their establishments.
Meanwhile, Khalif said farmers are also suffering as a result of the closure. Approximately 100 farmers have been unable to harvest their guava crops, whose season has begun, while around 200 dunums planted with guava trees lie outside the gate. This has hindered farmers' access to their land, the transportation of agricultural equipment, and the delivery of produce to markets.
He stressed that guavas are highly perishable and cannot withstand delays, particularly during the current harvest season. Their marketing depends on delivering them to the central market in Qalqilya during the morning and within specific timeframes, exposing farmers to direct losses and increasing their financial burdens and costs.
Khalif called for the entrance to be reopened and for restrictions on residents' movement to end, enabling them to reach their workplaces, businesses, land, and homes freely.
The closure of the Nabi Elias entrance comes as part of Israel's ongoing measures targeting roads and communities in eastern Qalqilya Governorate. On August 26, Israeli forces also closed the Jayyous Bridge–Nabi Elias road and the Azzun Bridge–Jayyous road with iron gates, cutting major connecting routes in the area and forcing residents to use detours.
Amir Daoud, director of the Documentation Department at the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, told WAFA that Israeli ambitions in Nabi Elias date back many years due to its strategic location. The village historically served as a major thoroughfare and commercial center, with Road 55, currently known as the Qalqilya–Nablus road, passing through it.
Daoud explained that in 2017, Israel issued an order to establish an alternative road that would bypass Nabi Elias and isolate it from its surroundings, facilitating control over the village's land and tightening restrictions imposed on it. He said this policy intensified following October 7, 2023, with the installation of iron gates at the village's eastern and western entrances and its closure from various directions, effectively turning it into a completely isolated enclave.
Daoud added that Israeli ambitions in Nabi Elias are also linked to its proximity to the Alfei Menashe settlement, built on land in Qalqilya Governorate and considered one of the largest settlements in the area. He said the village's lands have long been targeted by settlers as part of settlement expansion plans, while the construction of settlement roads and expansion of settlements comes at the expense of residents' land.
According to data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Qalqilya Governorate has witnessed a recent escalation in Israeli attacks and measures targeting residents' land and property. Israeli authorities demolished 57 structures in May, the highest number among West Bank governorates during that month. Demolitions were particularly concentrated in the governorate during July, while an attempt to establish a new settlement outpost was also recorded in May.
K.T
