A Silent Tragedy of the West Bank
12.08.2024
Reading time
3 minutes
The war in the Gaza Strip has been ongoing for over 300 days. The humanitarian disaster on the ground is also impacting the situation in the West Bank: since October 7, 2023, over 10,000 Palestinians have been arrested there. There are also casualties: at least 569 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have been killed. According to UN data, more than 600,000 Palestinians in the area lack adequate access to healthcare. Thanks to support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Polish Medical Mission is responding by launching a mobile clinic that will reach the most in need.
Our mobile clinic will help particularly vulnerable communities on the outskirts of Jerusalem and in the Jericho province. We will also provide them with medications. We will also address mental health issues: our goal is to train local leaders who will be prepared to support their local community in this area.
Psychosocial activities for children and educational programs for women, including reproductive health, will also be conducted. The aid project in the West Bank is co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the local partner is the Palestinian Medical Relief Society. The Polish Medical Mission continues to provide aid in the Gaza Strip as well. In the hospital in Deir al-Balah, medical teams co-organized by PMM are working—doctors are deployed there on month-long rotations, bringing medicines and supporting the daily work of Palestinian hospital staff.
The West Bank is divided into three areas, with Area C, comprising 62% of the territory, under full Israeli control. Both the Israeli authorities and settlers on the ground are destroying Palestinian structures, including homes, medical facilities, and sanitary installations such as wells and latrines. There are also attacks on civilians. The tense situation is restricting access to basic services. According to UN data, in 2023 alone, 622,000 Palestinians needed assistance in accessing healthcare. The problem has only worsened in recent months.
“Lack of access to healthcare poses a real threat to health and life. In the past 10 months, medical facilities in the West Bank have been attacked over 500 times. Doctors tell us that after regular attacks, such as those on the Jenin refugee camp, people are afraid to go to medical points for essential help. No one wants to be hit by a sniper,” says Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart, director of the humanitarian aid program at the Polish Medical Mission. “There is no doubt that the lives of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are not adequately protected by the occupying authorities.”
Another issue: patients requiring specialized therapies are increasingly being denied permission to receive treatment in Israeli facilities or East Jerusalem. But the lives of West Bank residents are also directly at risk. 569 Palestinians have been killed in attacks carried out not only by Israeli authorities but also by settlers on the ground. There have also been mass arrests: it is estimated that since October 7, over 10,000 people have been detained, including several hundred children. On the other side, there are 14 casualties, including nine Israeli soldiers.
