DaysofPal- Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) has issued a stark warning about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied West Bank due to intensified Israeli military operations and unprecedented restrictions on Palestinian movement, which are severely obstructing access to essential healthcare services.
In a statement released Tuesday, the organization called for the immediate halt of what it described as “Israeli coercive measures” that contribute to forced displacement and de facto annexation policies. These measures include prolonged military presence, movement restrictions, home demolitions, excessive use of force, and denial of access to basic services.
MSF noted that since June 13, Israeli occupation has shut down all major checkpoints and road entrances to Hebron for four consecutive days. As a result, Palestinian civilians — including those seeking urgent medical care — were forced to travel between areas on foot, with many seriously ill patients walking long distances under the threat of being shot or denied passage altogether.
Due to these conditions, the organization suspended mobile clinic operations in Hebron and Nablus, citing inaccessibility and serious security risks posed by intensified military activity. In Jenin and Tulkarem, MSF teams have been forced to reduce their working days, operating only intermittently depending on the presence of Israeli forces in nearby villages. Many patients have had to rely solely on remote consultations via phone.
The statement highlighted that since October 2023, Israeli forces have escalated their use of coercive measures and violent tactics in the West Bank — including strict movement restrictions, frequent raids, and systematic obstruction of access to vital services such as healthcare and education.
Doctors Without Borders concluded by urging the international community to move beyond verbal condemnation and apply meaningful pressure on the Israeli occupation to end the use of excessive force and lift movement restrictions that prevent access to essential services and humanitarian aid. The organization stressed that the continuation of these policies poses a direct threat to civilians’ lives and to the overall functionality of the health system in the occupied territories.
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