Israeli police issued traffic closure updates for several major highways as ongoing protests disrupted travel. Closures include Highways 6, 4, 1, 444, and 25, affecting the entire central and southern routes, with train service also halted on Route 1.
The latest police update, at 19:10 Jerusalem, details road closures across central and southern Israel as Haredi protests over military draft arrests continue for a second day. Highway 6 is blocked in both directions at the Haner HaHidit Tunnel; Highway 444 is closed at the Hadid Junction in both directions; Highway 1 is shut at the Ganot Interchange in both directions, with rail service halted; Highway 4 is blocked between Hashva and Masovim and the Geha Interchange in both directions; and Highway 25 is closed between Beit HaGadi and Hamazleg in both directions. As The Zioneer reported, earlier today police used water cannon and stun grenades to reopen Highway 6. The current closures affect tens of thousands of drivers. No end time for the closures has been given.
The protests, which began earlier in the afternoon and rapidly brought central Israel to a standstill, have escalated through the evening. At 17:42 Jerusalem, we first reported closures on Highways 6 and 1. Subsequent updates at the same time added closures on Route 4 and the Ayalon Highway, and reported a truck driver being attacked after striking demonstrators. By 19:10, police had used water cannon and stun grenades to clear Highway 6 northbound. The current police update, at 19:10, now confirms closures expanding southward to Highway 25 near Netivot, as reported earlier in the thread.
As The Zioneer has reported, earlier today police used water cannon and stun grenades to reopen Highway 6 northbound, and organizers of the protest instructed participants to disperse at that time. Separately, a series of suspected car-ramming incidents have been reported at the Ganot Junction during the protests, leaving at least two people moderately wounded, as we reported at 18:59 Jerusalem.
It remains unclear whether the organizers' earlier call to disperse has been heeded, or whether the renewed closures represent a re-escalation. The closure on Highway 25 was previously reported in a separate bulletin as a blocked junction near Netivot, without a specified reason or connection to the Haredi protests; that linkage remains unconfirmed.
9 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake