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Photo:
Scene. Published by Maan NEws
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RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces declared the Khan al-Ahmar village, east of occupied Jerusalem in the central West bank, on Friday, a closed military zone.

A Ma'an reporter said that Israeli forces closed all roads leading to Khan al-Ahmar, preventing Palestinians and journalists from entering the village.

Israeli forces closed the iron gate at the entrance of the village, early Friday morning.

Deployed soldiers prevented people from entering or exiting the village to prevent activists and residents from performing group Friday prayers in the village as a protest to the Israeli demolition order against it.

Last week, the Israeli Civil Administration ordered residents of Khan al-Ahmar to demolish their own homes and evacuate the area before the start of October. However, last month, residents had declared that they would not be leaving their homes and would not agree to be transferred anywhere.

Khan al-Ahmar has been under threat of demolition by Israeli forces; the demolition would leave more than 35 Palestinian families displaced, as part of an Israeli plan to expand the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Kfar Adummim.