Looking after the safety of their children, both residents of Sur Baher and Um Tuba communities, in southeast Jerusalem announced that they will not be sending their children to school tomorrow on Saturday due to difficulty of movement as a result of the siege and closure imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities on both areas for the past two days.

The Parents’ Committee in Um Tuba announced a general strike following the closure of all routes to the village with concrete blocks.

The national and Islamic factions in both communities announced their support for the position of the Parents’ Committee, announcing a general strike tomorrow.

The village of Um Tuba, which has a population of 6,000 citizens, and Sur Baher, a village of 30,000 population, have been under Israeli siege and closure for the past two days. The entrances to both villages were closed, leaving only one entrance open with an Israeli checkpoint erected there. Residents attempting to cross the checkpoint have reported being subjected
to harassment and searches by the military forces.

Two Palestinian siblings, from Sur Baher, were killed on Thursday morning by Israeli gunfire northwest of occupied Jerusalem following an alleged armed attack.