(File)
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces temporarily closed all entrances to the city of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank around noon on Monday, while tightening military procedures on bypass roads in the northern, eastern and southern parts of the city.
Local sources told Ma’an that Israeli forces installed iron gates at some of the entrances to the city, while also erecting checkpoints and checking the identity cards of Palestinians passing through.
The reason for the shutdowns and increased military presence remained unknown.
An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed to Ma'an that the roads had been closed, but said early Monday evening that they had since been reopened.
Palestinian communities are routinely subjected to arbitrary road closures by Israeli military forces for purported "security reasons," an act which rights groups have denounced as amounting to collective punishment.
