The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a considerable rise in assaults against health care services in the West Bank in February 2023, as stated in their monthly Health Access Report for the occupied Palestinian territories.
There were health-related issues caused by the large-scale invasions of Palestinian towns and refugee camps by Israeli forces, which were compounded by the increased violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers, the report said.
In the first two months of 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 47 health attacks, including:
37 obstructions to the provision of health care, including closures that took place during invasions of Jenin, Nablus, and Hawara, were recorded.
There were 21 incidents of physical violence against health care workers, including the use of live ammunition to stop them from providing aid and evacuating the wounded who then passed away.
Three occasions of armed forces searching an ambulance.
At least 24 health workers were injured and 12 more were targeted without injury, three of which were subjected to strip searches and four were detained. Moreover, 44 ambulances were affected, consisting of 42 that were prevented from providing health care, six that were damaged, and three that were targeted without being damaged.
It was reported that two-thirds (68%) of documented attacks had occurred in the Nablus district, with other areas that had also been impacted including Hebron, Jericho, Jenin, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.
The World Health Organization noted that the frequency of health attacks in February was similar to the highs seen in April and October of 2022.
The World Health Organization’s report featured the accounts of Ahmad, an employee of the Palestine Red Crescent Society for over two decades.
“On the 22nd of February during the military raid on Nablus, I was in one of the nine PRCS ambulances that were prevented from entering the Old City to evacuate people who had been severely injured. We were told that there was no coordination [with Israeli forces] for the ambulances to enter, so we decided to continue by foot at our own risk,” he said.
Ahmad reported that a team was sent to care for an ailing two-year-old with a heart condition who had inhaled tear gas. When they arrived at the patient’s residence, they were trapped for two hours before they were able to arrange for the transfer of the child to a hospital.
The four paramedics were just exiting their ambulance to retrieve an injured person when they were fired upon with rubber-coated bullets. Fortunately, they were able to transport the injured individual to the ambulance safely, without getting hit themselves.
On that day, rubber bullets were fired at an ambulance and another ambulance was struck by an Israeli military vehicle, resulting in damage to the ambulance’s body.
Ahmad outlines the hardships associated with accessing the Old City of Nablus during military raids and their consequences. He points out that navigating the constricted streets is already a challenge, but it is even more so during an Israeli incursion. The Palestine Red Crescent Society is close to providing tracktorons, which are small, specially-designed vehicles, to simplify the process of entering and transferring patients.
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