Israeli authorities have started constructing a new settlement road north of occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Jerusalem Governorate. The road extends from the city of Mikhmas in the east to the village of Qalandiya in the west, spanning about six kilometers. Officials said the project is part of a bypass network designed to connect Israeli settlements while avoiding Palestinian areas. Around 280 dunams of land have been confiscated from four Palestinian towns for the construction.

Palestinian officials argue that such infrastructure projects restrict Palestinian movement and entrench land confiscation. They accuse Israel of using settlement expansion and road construction to isolate East Jerusalem from the West Bank. The report notes that since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israeli military operations in the West Bank have intensified, with increased killings, demolitions, forced evictions, and settlement expansion.

According to official Palestinian statistics, at least 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,500 injured, and more than 21,000 detained in the West Bank during that period.