Isma’il ‘Odeh, 41, a father of three from Deir ‘Ammar Refugee Camp in Ramallah, described how severe travel restrictions make it difficult for him to access cancer treatment and get to work
I’ve lived in the Deir ‘Ammar area since I was born, and I work in Bitunya, which borders Ramallah from the west. I’m a partner in a building materials store there. Until 7 October 2023, it took me only 20 minutes to get to Ramallah by shared taxi, and the ride cost 7 ILS (~ 2.30 USD). But since October 2023, the military has closed the direct road, and more and more restrictions have been imposed.
We're forced to use an alternative road. At first, we took the road that goes through the center of Kafr Ni‘ma, which increased travel time and the cost to 10 ILS (~ 3.30 USD). In optimal conditions, this route takes 40 minutes, when there are no traffic jams or checkpoints.
Until 7 October 2023, it took me only 20 minutes to get to Ramallah by shared taxi, and the ride cost 7 ILS. But since October 2023, the military has closed the direct road, and more and more restrictions have been imposed.
After about a year, the military closed that road too, and everyone in the villages of Deir ‘Ammar, including Deir ‘Ammar Refugee Camp, Beitillu and Jammala, had to travel through more villages, Kharbatha Bani Harith, then Bil’in, Kafr Ni‘ma, Deir Ibzi, Bitunya and from there to Ramallah. This route took at least an hour, and the cost of the ride went up to 13 ILS (~ 4.25 USD). This went on until 28 February 2026, when the military closed gates it installed at the entrances to the villages of Deir ‘Ammar, Ras Karkar and Kharbatha Bani Harith. Some of the gates reopened about two weeks later, but the gates in Deir ‘Ammar and Kharbatha Bani Harith stayed closed.
Residents in our area had two options: One is to take a shared taxi from inside the village of Deir ‘Ammar to the Deir ‘Ammar gate, which costs 5 ILS (~ 1.65 USD), and from there continue on foot to the Kharbatha Bani Harith Gate, and from there take another ride to Ramallah, which costs 10 ILS (~ 3.30 USD). But walking is dangerous because there are often settlers and soldiers along the way, in the ‘Ein Ayoub area. The other option is to travel via the Shebtin/Jammala road, which is a rough road. It’s unpaved; there’s no lighting, and it’s also used for waste disposal and quarries. That drive takes about an hour and a half and costs 18 ILS (~ 5.90 USD).
I’ve been coping with lung cancer and have to go to the hospital in Ramallah every two weeks for tests and biotherapy. I have to take a rough, dusty road, which exacerbates my breathing problems and forces me to take additional medication. I’m also worried that in a medical emergency, I won’t be able to get to the hospital quickly.
These days, getting to work at our store in Bitunya has become so difficult that I can no longer go there every day, but only once every two days, because of the high cost of fuel and the long journeys. Many residents in our area avoid traveling to Ramallah and only go there in emergencies.
Over the past two years, I’ve also been coping with lung cancer and have to go to the hospital in Ramallah every two weeks for tests and biotherapy. I have to take a rough, dusty road, which exacerbates my breathing problems and forces me to take additional medication.
I’m also worried that in a medical emergency, I won’t be able to get to the hospital quickly. My aunt recently had a fall, and evacuating her was very complicated. We had to call two ambulances, one on each side of the gate. This is something that could happen to any resident in the area.
About two weeks ago, the Kharbatha Bani Harith gate was opened, but the Deir ‘Ammar gate is still closed. We contacted many organizations and official bodies and couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for this. If it’s closed because of outposts, there are outposts everywhere in the West Bank, and if the reason is the main road, Route 463, then there are main bypass roads everywhere.
The closure of the gates has turned the villages into large prisons. It harms freedom of movement and prevents people from exercising basic rights such as medical care and education.
The closure of the gates has turned the villages into large prisons. It harms freedom of movement and prevents people from exercising basic rights such as medical care and education. A situation in which it takes a sick person an hour and a half to get to a hospital, or a teacher has to take a dangerous road to get to school, is not reasonable. But the authorities do this on purpose, so that we get used to it, which won’t happen.
- Testimony given to B’Tselem field researcher Mohammad Romaneh on 7 May 2026