A view shows the Hizma checkpoint, in the West Bank, Nov. 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ammar Awad.

On Sunday morning, an Israeli Arab terrorist opened fire on civilians in a gas station near a McDonald’s restaurant in the Israeli city Kochav Yair, killing one Israeli and severely wounding five others.

The terrorist, who was later identified as an Arab from the Israeli city of Taiba, was shot and killed by an Israeli officer.

While Israel was still searching for an escaped accomplice, the Israeli army opened mobile checkpoints along highways, and fixed checkpoints at the entrances to nearby Palestinian towns, which caused traffic jams.

Paramedics arrive at the scene

Palestinian Media Watch notes that when Palestinian Authority (PA)’s official news agency WAFA reported on the story, it was exclusively about the suffering of the Palestinians caused by Israel’s army roadblocks.

The PA complained: “Soldiers stopped vehicles, checked identity cards, and caused significant disruption to civilian movement across the area.” There was no mention of the terror murder or Israel’s need to search for the second terrorist accomplice, who was captured later.

The following is the report in WAFA, the official PA news agency:

Israeli occupation forces close checkpoints near Tulkarm, restrict movement

Israeli occupation forces on Sunday closed the Jabara checkpoint at the southern entrance of the city of Tulkarm and the Ennab military checkpoint east of the city, preventing Palestinian vehicles from passing.

Eyewitnesses told WAFA that Israeli forces tightened military restrictions at both checkpoints, halting movement and causing severe traffic congestion in surrounding areas, forcing residents to seek alternative routes.

In a related development, surveillance drones were seen flying at low altitude over Tulkarm city amid the continued closure of the checkpoints.

Meantime, Israeli occupation forces intensified military restrictions in and around the nearby district of Qalqilya, setting up checkpoints and restricting movement at several roads.

Local sources reported that Israeli forces set up mobile checkpoints at the eastern entrance of Qalqilya city and at the entrances of the villages of Jinsafut and An-Nabi Elias.

Soldiers stopped vehicles, checked identity cards, and caused significant disruption to civilian movement across the area.

[WAFA, official PA news agency, June 7, 2026]

The PA talks out of both sides of its mouth. It directly incites terror against Israelis, while at the same time crying “victim” after a terror attack, ignoring the attack and focusing on how the heightened security response affects them — and only them.

The author is a contributor to Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article first appeared.