The World Health Organization warned of the worsening health crisis in the occupied West Bank, and called for “immediate and effective protection of civilians and the health system in the West Bank,” noting that “strict restrictions, violence, and attacks on medical facilities complicate access to health care.”
In a statement yesterday, Friday, the World Health Organization said that access to health care is also complicated in the West Bank, due to the closure of crossing points between Israel and the West Bank, increasing insecurity, and the closure of entire villages.
The organization said that the serious financial crisis, which has been exacerbated by Israel’s withholding of an increasing share of the taxes it collects from the Palestinians since October 7, has led to “health workers receiving only half of their salaries for nearly a year, while 45% of essential medicines Out of stock.
The World Health Organization also recorded 480 attacks on health facilities or ambulances in the West Bank during the period from October 7 to May 28, and these attacks resulted in the death of 16 people and the injury of 95 others.
According to the organization, 521 Palestinians were martyred in the West Bank, including 126 children, and more than 5,200 others were injured, including 800 children, since the start of the devastating Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority, for its part, estimates that at least 545 people were martyred. At the hands of Israeli occupation forces or settlers since October 7.
The organization expressed its regret that the influx of infected people increases the burden of “emergency care in health institutions that are already suffering from pressure” and can only operate at 70% of their capacity due to lack of funds.