Palestinians in Hebron blocked from receiving medical care, says MSF

Palestinians in Hebron are struggling to access essential medical care due to restrictions imposed by Israeli forces and violence from the army and Israeli settlers, a report by an aid group has said.

In its report, ‘Occupied Lives: The risk of forcible transfer of Palestinians in Hebron’, aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), detailed the "rapidly deteriorating access" Palestinians were facing to receive medical care.

The organisation said they wanted to detail the consequences of Israel’s actions and how it was impacting the health and well-being of Palestinians and impeding their access to medical care.

"The movement restrictions and harassment and violence by Israeli forces and settlers is inflicting immense and unnecessary suffering on Palestinians in Hebron," MSF humanitarian affairs manager Frederieke van Dongen said in a statement.

"This is having a disastrous impact on people’s mental and physical health."

MSF said that health ministry clinics across the Hebron governate had been forced to close, pharmacies were short of medication and ambulances had faced obstruction and attacks when transporting sick and injured Palestinians.

As a result of restrictions and the threats of violence, many patients were delayed from seeing a doctor or had to stop their treatment altogether.

The organisation also noted that many Palestinians were facing financial hardship after losing their jobs and were unable to afford medication.

Hebron, located in the occupied West Bank, is placed under a regime of segregation that is split between the Palestinian H1 Zone and the zone occupied by Israeli settlers, H2.

The latter zone has 21 checkpoints used to restrict the movement of local Palestinians, which, in turn, poses barriers to healthcare workers trying to access Gaza.

MSF said all but one clinic was closed in the zone for two months after 7 October.

The organisation stressed these "oppressive conditions" were not only impacting Palestinians' mental and physical health but also forcing them to flee their homes in what MSF say may amount to "forcible transfer", which they said would be a "grave breach" of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Since 7 October, Israel's onslaught on Gaza also saw an increase in military raids on the West Bank and an expansion of illegal settlements.

The World Health Organisation has raised concerns about the escalating health crisis in the territory.

WHO documented 480 attacks on health care in the West Bank since 7 October, affecting 54 health facilities, 20 mobile clinics and 319 ambulances.

Editor's note: This article has been edited to reflect that MSF said the conditions in Hebron "may amount to forcible transfer". An original version of the article suggested MSF said it was decisively "forcible transfer". To see MSF's full press release, click here.