SALFIT, (PIC)
Israeli occupation forces are maintaining a tight siege on the towns of Burqin and Kafr Deek, located west of Salfit in northern West Bank, for the fourth consecutive day. They are preventing entry and exit and blocking the delivery of food supplies to the towns, alongside ongoing home raids and destruction of property, amid fears of worsening humanitarian conditions.
The Israeli siege on the towns follows a shooting incident last Wednesday that resulted in the death of an Israeli settler, leading to heightened calls from the Israeli right for military actions similar to those occurring in Gaza.
Burqin Mayor Fa’id Sabra stated that Israeli forces have been enforcing a strict siege on Burqin and Kafr Deek since last Wednesday evening, following the shooting incident. According to a report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Sabra noted that the siege prevents anyone from entering or leaving the town, which in turn blocks the provision of essential food supplies.
Sabra indicated that the occupation forces are conducting continuous raids on homes, conducting searches, damaging property, and carrying out field investigations and arrests. Numerous homes have been seized and turned into military outposts, with children, women, and the elderly confined in closed rooms, restricting their movement. There are also reports of money being stolen from several homes during these raids.
According to Sabra, Burqin covers an area of about 18,000 dunums, with 60% of its lands classified as Area C under the Oslo Accords, where approximately 80% has been confiscated for the benefit of settlements and Israeli military sites. The remaining 40% falls under Area B, which includes residential neighborhoods benefiting the local population.
Residents are being prevented from accessing their lands in Area C. Sabra mentioned that the population of Burqin is about 5,200, and most of its land is confiscated for the benefit of the Brukhin settlement and the industrial settlement area of Ariel.
Kafr Deek Mayor Ibrahim Deek confirmed that Israeli occupation forces are continuing to impose a strict siege on Kafr Deek for the fourth day, expressing fears of a repeat of what occurred in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem and their refugee camps.
In an interview with the same newspaper, Deek pointed out that after imposing the siege, occupation forces are conducting raids and searches of homes, accompanied by theft of money from some homes and converting others into military outposts, alongside damaging property and conducting field investigations.
Deek clarified that Kafr Deek spans approximately 17,000 dunums, with over 80% of its land confiscated. Four settlements, as well as the industrial settlement of Ariel, have been established there, alongside two settlement outposts created in the last three years.
He noted that Kafr Deek has a population of about 6,500, stressing that the continued siege and military measures exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the town.
An Israeli settler was killed due to gunfire last Wednesday evening on Road 446 adjacent to the Brukhin settlement, near the Palestinian village of Burqin in Salfit Governorate.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called last Thursday for the destruction of the villages of Burqin and Kafr Deek, similar to actions taken by the occupation forces in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood and Tal al-Sultan in Gaza.
In parallel with the genocide in Gaza, the occupation army and settlers have escalated their assaults in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the deaths of at least 967 Palestinians, with around 7,000 injured and more than 17,000 arrested, according to Palestinian data.
