Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

West Bank healthcare in dire state: MSF

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 6 Feb 2025 09:10
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warns that the West Bank’s healthcare system has been in "a state of perpetual emergency" since October 2023, as Israeli military raids, movement restrictions, and settler violence severely obstruct medical access.

Listen
  • x
  • Israeli soldiers deploy at the entrance of the Tulkarm refugee camp near Tulkarm during an ongoing raid on the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, on February 5, 2025. (AFP)
    Israeli soldiers deployed at the entrance of the Tulkarm refugee camp near Tulkarm during an ongoing raid on the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, on February 5, 2025 (AFP)

The West Bank's healthcare system has been in "a state of perpetual emergence" since October 2023, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Thursday .

"A dramatic escalation in violence, marked by prolonged Israeli military incursions and stricter movement restrictions... have severely hindered access to essential services, particularly healthcare, exacerbating already dire living conditions for many Palestinians," the report said.

"Since October 7, 2023, the West Bank has seen a dramatic escalation in violence, marked by prolonged Israeli military incursions and stricter movement restrictions."

The report examined "the attacks and the obstructions of healthcare in a context of, what has been described by the ICJ (International Criminal Court) as segregation and apartheid," revealing "a pattern of systematic interference by Israeli forces and settlers in emergency healthcare delivery".

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 884 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. The prevention of Palestinians from accessing healthcare was "part of a wider system of collective punishment imposed by Israel, under the guise of its crackdown on armed Palestinian men", MSF said, adding that Palestine's strained healthcare system in the West Bank has been under pressure since October 2023, and is also grappling with budgetary issues.

Healthcare workers have not been paid in over a year, and almost half of medications are out of stock, with hospitals and clinics running at "significantly reduced levels," according to MSF.

"Access to healthcare is severely impeded by a sprawling system of checkpoints and roadblocks that obstruct ambulance movements, compounded by the escalation of violent military raids involving the use of disproportionate tactics".

Related News

Sudan crisis worsens: Cholera outbreak claims dozens in Darfur

Gaza crisis worsens amid surge in deadly antibiotic-resistant diseases

"Frequent attacks on medical personnel and facilities" are also making matters worse, moreover, "Hospitals and healthcare structures are often encircled by military forces, with troops sometimes occupying the buildings themselves, compounding the risks to both patients and staff," with the violence being exacerbated by Israeli settlers.

MSF called on "Israel" in its statement to stop its "disproportionate use of force" in the West Bank, including on medical facilities and against medical personnel, calling for independent investigations into past attacks on Palestinian healthcare facilities and civilians, for "Israel" to facilitate medical access to those in need, and to allow UNRWA to continue its work.

Clearing explosives in Gaza to delay rebuilding for years, MSF warns

Regarding the aftermath of the war on Gaza and the compounded suffering of Palestinians, MSF warned in late January that efforts to rebuild Gaza face immense obstacles, including unexploded ordnance scattered across devastated neighborhoods. The humanitarian organization warned that clearing these remnants of war will take years, significantly delaying the reconstruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services.

"People are trying to rebuild from the rubble. Rafah is destroyed, with homes, shops, streets, and healthcare facilities in ruins and electricity and water systems damaged. The area is also unsafe due to scattered unexploded artillery in the remnants of buildings, which will take years to clean," said Pascale Coissard, part of MSF's emergency coordination team.

The city of Rafah, which suffered heavy damage during the war, remains largely uninhabitable. Coissard said that without health services and broader humanitarian aid, resuming daily life in many areas of Gaza will remain impossible.

"Health services, including the rest of humanitarian aid, and rebuilding of the city is needed for life to be able to come back to Rafah, but it's still too dangerous for people to return in most areas," she stated, stressing the ongoing risks even after the ceasefire.

Although bombings have ceased, dangers persist in the form of hidden explosives. The psychological toll on residents and aid workers returning to these areas is also profound.

Nadia Abo Mallouh, supporting MSF's medical coordination efforts, described the emotional pain of seeing once-bustling places reduced to ruins. "It's extremely difficult to come back to the same place that used to be full of life," she said.

Recalling her work at the Emirati Hospital, she added, "We couldn't even recognize the streets where the Emirati Hospital was. It's sad seeing the hospital that used to bring life to earth totally empty, no signs of life, everything is destroyed."

  • Palestine
  • West Bank
  • Doctors Without Borders
  • MSF

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS