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Photo: (AFP/File)
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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces on Saturday maintained a closure of the main entrance of the occupied West Bank village of Abud following an alleged attack and clashes in the area the night before, locals and the Israeli army said.

Locals told Ma’an that forces sealed the entrance Friday night when village resident Abed al-Rahman Barghouthi, reportedly a Palestinian with US citizenship, was killed after the Israeli army said he stabbed an Israeli soldier.

Israeli forces prevented all residents of Abud from entering or exiting the village through the main street, locals said, adding that the closure forced residents to travel on dangerous roads in order to move in and out of the isolated town.

The village is home to around 3,000 Palestinians, a significant number of whom are Christian.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that “in light of recent attacks, additional security measures have been taken in the area.”

The spokesperson was unable to confirm the expected duration of the closure.

The Israeli military has the liberty to seal Palestinian villages and towns in the occupied West Bank without first receiving approval from the government, and has frequently implemented such closures over the past two months.

The move is one of several measures implemented by the military that has been considered collective punishment on Palestinian communities following increased attacks carried out by Palestinian individuals.

Barghouthi was at least the 111th Palestinian to be killed since Oct. 1, the majority of whom have been shot dead during alleged, attempted, and actual attacks on Israeli military and civilians.

At least 19 Israelis have been killed in the same time period.

Witnesses disputed the details of the death of Barghouthi, who was the second Palestinian to be killed on Friday in the Ramallah area.

Anas Bassam Hammad was killed by Israeli forces after driving his car into a group of Israeli soldiers, injuring two near the illegal Ofra settlement.