Israel shuts down a town in the West Bank, cancelling Eid for Palestinians

For the fifth day now, the Israeli army has imposed a comprehensive closure of the town of Jayyus, just east of the city of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, preventing its Palestinian residents from leaving their homes and walking around its streets.

The draconian measures, which coincided with the end of Ramadan and the Muslim festival of Eid, followed a shooting attack by a Palestinian gunman close to the nearby village of Nabi Ilyas.

Sunday’s shooting left an Israeli soldier seriously wounded and a civilian with light injuries. Israeli officials claim that the Palestinian responsible fled to Jayyus and is currently hiding there. 

Fadi Jayyusi, a journalist and activist from the town, told MEE that Israeli military vehicles surrounded the town soon after the attack and prevented anyone from entering or leaving.

"Eid in the town has been different from previous years," Jayyusi said. "Nobody leaves their house; children are not filling the streets to play as they usually do."

Read more: Israel shuts down a town in the occupied West Bank, cancelling Eid for Palestinians