More than 900 Israeli checkpoints are hindering humanitarian work in the West Bank

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday that more than 900 Israeli checkpoints and physical obstacles are hindering humanitarian work and the delivery of aid to those in need in the occupied West Bank.

This came in a statement from the UN office, in which it warned UN humanitarian partners that relief operations are being delayed and restricted by a network of more than 900 physical obstacles.

The statement explained that these obstacles include checkpoints, gates, roadblocks, and other restrictions, which impede the delivery of humanitarian aid and leave those in need without sufficient services and assistance.

In the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, OCHA said that humanitarian and municipal workers are facing difficulties reaching three Palestinian families who have been trapped since Tuesday.

It added that the families are trapped following the establishment of an Israeli settlement outpost near their homes and the tightening of access restrictions to the area.

He noted that UN partners, in cooperation with municipal workers, are trying to deliver food, water, baby formula, medicine, and hygiene supplies to families, but their efforts have not yet been successful.

The UN office warned that efforts to protect Palestinians have not been effective, amid reports that settlers have re-erected a tent that Israeli forces had dismantled last Thursday.

In the northern West Bank, OCHA reported that the humanitarian situation remains extremely difficult.