A/HRC/8/18 page 8 checkpoints and a complex system of permits, formed an integrated, multifaceted system that restricted the movement of around 2.4 million Palestinians in the West Bank. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, approximately 38 per cent of the West Bank territory has been subsumed in Israeli settlements, outposts,14 “closed areas” west of the Wall, closed military areas, Israeli-declared nature reserves or other Israeli infrastructure. As a result, the West Bank has been fragmented into a series of Palestinian enclaves. 15. The number of closures increased considerably prior to and during the reporting period. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 367 closures in the West Bank in August 2005. In October 2007, there were 561 closures;15 by 18 March 2008, the closures had increased to 612.16 16. Curfews introduced by the Israeli security forces also impeded freedom of movement. The total number of hours under curfew in the West Bank increased during the reporting period. While the total hours under curfew in 2006 and 2007 amounted to 696 and 873, respectively, in the period from January to March 2008, the total number of hours under curfew amounted to 776.17 17. The Gaza Strip remained isolated during the reporting period, with the exception of limited humanitarian imports and the movement of a small number of international visitors, patients and Israeli-approved Palestinians.18 18. During the period under review, travel in the West Bank was generally time-consuming, unpredictable and at times costly as a result of impediments imposed by the closure regime. These included permit restrictions, the requirement of travel by indirect routes, hours spent waiting at checkpoints and humiliating searches. Travellers were also often required to change their means of transport en route owing to obstacles blocking the road, such as earth mounds. This situation posed a significant challenge to inhabitants of the West Bank who wished to attend religious services in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The closure regime especially caused difficulties during the religious holidays of Ramadan and Christmas in 2007, when the number of people wishing to pass the checkpoints in order to attend religious services increased manifold. The delays and congestion experienced as a result of the closures were particularly detrimental for Muslims during Ramadan, who were frequently unable to reach their destination in time to 14 An outpost is a settlement, which has been set up without proper authorization by the Government of Israel. 15 OCHA closure update, October 2007. 16 OCHA Report No. 61 Implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access (5-18 March 2008) and OCHA Access and Movement Report (19 March-1 April 2008). 17 OCHA-OPT: Protection of Civilians. Summary Data Tables. Reports to the End of March 2008, p. 15. 18 OCHA Gaza Strip interagency humanitarian fact sheet, March 2008.