NABLUS, April 12, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli army forces on Tuesday re-closed with cement cubes the entrance to the village of Aqraba, to the south of Nablus in the West Bank, according to local sources.

Yousef Deriya, a member of the Anti-Israeli Settlement Commission in the village, told WAFA that Israeli army re-closed the entrance to Aqraba, a few days after a number of Palestinians from the village were able to open it.

He said this was the third time Israeli military closes the entrance to the village, affecting the daily life of about 12,000 Palestinians.

Israeli forces have shut down roads to a number of Palestinian towns since the beginning of this year, including the city of Ramallah, after Palestinians from these areas carried out or allegedly attempted to carry out attacks against Israeli targets.

Last February, Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah denounced the Israeli practice of blockading Palestinian towns as amounting to “collective punishment.”

“Ongoing Israeli policies of collective punishment, field executions, and blockading Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps will worsen the security situation in the area,” he said.

M.N