West Bank: over 70 victims since the beginning of the year

More than 70 Palestinians have died in the West Bank since the beginning of the year. Most of them lost their lives as a result of the Israeli army’s military operation in Jenin. The youngest victim is a two-year-old girl in the village of al-Shuhada, south of Jenin.

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip did not affect the situation in the West Bank. In the last days of January, military operations there were even intensified: the Israeli army then launched a military operation near Jenin, where one of the most important refugee camps in the occupied territories is located. The youngest victim is a two-year-old girl in the village of al-Shuhada.

We repeat it once again: children have never been and will never be a party to any war – comments Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart from the Polish Medical Mission – Our mobile clinics in the West Bank are aimed, among other things, at providing medical assistance to pregnant women. We are terrified that the women and their small children whom we provide assistance to may later become victims of military operations.

Since October 7, 2023, i.e. since the beginning of the escalation in the Gaza Strip, over 900 Palestinian women and Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank. The actions of the Israeli army are not the only problem for the residents of the West Bank. There are also clashes with Israeli settlers, who according to international law are staying there illegally: as a result of them, nine Palestinians were injured in January alone, eight cars and olive crops were destroyed. The health service is also attacked: 24 attacks on medical points were recorded in January.

Patients who cannot safely go to a doctor or hospital are left without medical care as a result – comments Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart – We are trying to fill this gap with our clinics, which reach people with difficult access to health care.

The mobile clinic of the Polish Medical Mission helps communities in particular need on the outskirts of Jerusalem and in the province of Jericho. The Polish organization also supplies medicines, and also conducts psychosocial classes for children and educational classes for women. It also trains local leaders in the field of mental health. 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.