WHO: Israeli Attacks Against Medical Staff in West Bank Increase

West Bank, MINA – The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning about the increasing number of Israeli attacks on medical staff in Palestinian hospitals and other medical institutions in the occupied West Bank.

The warning was made in WHO’s monthly Health Access Report in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Middle East Monitor reported on Thursday.

The international health agency documented 47 attacks in the first two months of 2023, including 37 incidents involving obstructions to the delivery of urgent healthcare during Israeli raids on the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus, as well as the village of Huwara.

WHO also reported 21 incidents involving acts of physical violence against health care providers.

According to the report, 68 percent of the recorded attacks took place in the Nablus district. Other areas affected are Hebron, Jericho, Jenin, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

WHO included Ahmad’s testimony in the report. He is a health worker who has worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for 26 years.

“On February 22 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 were seriously injured,” he explained.

“We were told that there was no coordination with the Israeli forces for the entry of the ambulances, so we decided to proceed on foot at our own risk,” he added.

Violence has escalated across the occupied Palestinian territories in recent weeks, amid repeated Israeli military raids on Palestinian cities.

Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Huwara last month and carried out arson attacks on several Palestinian homes and vehicles to the ground. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)