Israeli Forces Declare Kafr Malik a Closed Military Zone

Israeli forces have declared the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik, located north-east of Ramallah, a closed military zone following settler attacks on farmers. The move, which imposes additional restrictions on civilian movement, comes amidst ongoing incursions and raids targeting the village and its surroundings.

Local sources report that the Israeli military has implemented military procedures within the village, although the duration of the closure and the specific restrictions imposed on residents remain unclear. Kafr Malik has been subject to repeated incursions, including home and farm raids, citizen detentions, and field investigations, as well as the use of sound and gas bombs.

On October 6, Israeli forces raided homes and subjected residents to field investigations while settlers grazed their sheep on agricultural lands at the village's outskirts, resulting in crop damage. On October 12, a citizen was arrested following a raid on his farm, and two youths were detained. Another farm was raided and its contents ransacked. On October 16, the firing of gas bombs during a raid caused a fire in a home, with residents prevented from accessing the property to extinguish the blaze.

In a related development, Israeli forces raided the eastern part of the city of Nablus, including the Yusuf shrine, and searched a home in the Askar al-Balad area. The forces continued their incursions into the village of Burin, south of Nablus, for the fourth consecutive day, searching and damaging several citizens' homes.

These attacks are part of a series of ongoing military incursions in cities and villages across the West Bank, including home raids, searches, arrests, and movement restrictions, as well as the designation of certain sites as military zones. According to the Anti-Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee, Israeli forces and settlers carried out 2,051 attacks in the West Bank during September, with 1,404 attacks by Israeli forces and 647 by settlers.