“Our mission is only to provide medical aid, and we should not be punished for that – whether by suspicion, detention or death,” says Safiya al-Bibissi, an ambulance driver with the Palestine Red Crescent , describing the treatment of the first patients. interveners by Israeli forces in the illegally occupied West Bank.
Despite the risks, al-Bibissi drives an ambulance through blocked roads and restricted areas to reach patients in Tulkarem. “We are constantly targeted; it’s psychological destruction,” she adds, emphasizing that her uniform offers no protection against the violence of Israeli troops.
Since the start of the war on Gaza, the Palestinian Red Crescent has reported at least 750 violations against its staff and patients in the West Bank. In September, the Israeli army launched its largest attack on the occupied territory since the Second Intifada, killing 18 people, including children, in Tulkarem. The destruction of Palestinian homes, roads and infrastructure, such as water and sewage systems, has made it even more difficult for relief workers to reach people in need.
Palestinians in the occupied territories are now struggling to secure their basic necessities, including food and water. “I don’t think anyone living in this situation can consider themselves free,” says Raghad al-Fanni, also a resident of Tulkarem. Al-Fanni spent more than a year in an Israeli prison without even being formally charged – under the practice of administrative detention, which allows Israel to detain Palestinians without trial or explanation. At least 3,300 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons under this system.
Al-Fanni was released last year during a four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas, which included an exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. “Now, if you go a day without feeling fear of external danger, that in itself is an achievement,” she reflects. Life on the outside remains difficult, as the uncertainty she faced in prison continues under occupation.
In this Close up In this episode, watch stories of resilience amid growing violence as the human cost of the ongoing conflict in the occupied West Bank mounts.
Credits:
Director/Writer: Tierney Bonini
Producer: Manar Altell
Associate producer: Alreem Al-Maadeed
Editor: Farah Fayed
Additional editor: Antonia Perello
Colorist: Catherine Hallinan
Sound mixer: Linus Bergman
Senior Editor: Donald Cameron
