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full screen A boy stands next to a car destroyed in an Israeli raid in Kafr Dan in the West Bank. Archive image. Photo: Majdi Mohammed/AP/TT
The World Health Organization, WHO, condemns what it calls an “escalating health crisis” in the occupied West Bank.
Increased restrictions, violence and attacks on health infrastructure increasingly impede access to care.
In a statement, the organization calls for “immediate and active protection of civilians and health care in the West Bank”.
Since the extremist movement Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel in October, which was the starting point for the ongoing war in Gaza, violence has also increased in the West Bank. According to the WHO, 521 Palestinians, including 126 children, have been killed in the West Bank since October 7.
Palestinian officials, however, say the number is higher: they say at least 545 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers since the war broke out. In addition, over 5,200 people have been injured, according to the WHO.
In addition, attacks on health facilities, including ambulances and hospitals, have become more common. Between October 7 and May 28, 480 such attacks have occurred in the West Bank, according to the WHO. At the same time, closed border controls, growing insecurity and closures of entire communities mean that mobility in the West Bank is increasingly restricted – which also makes it harder to get access to care.
In addition, the WHO emphasizes, the prolonged economic crisis means that health workers have only received half of their salary for almost a year and that many essential medicines are missing.