Access to medical care for wounded Palestinians in what is regarded as the largest raid on West Bank territories by Israeli forces since 2002, has emerged as yet another point of contention in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On July 3, an Israeli raid on a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin resulted in at least ten dead and more than 100 wounded.
The state of Israel has occupied the West Bank territories since 1967, with the 1995 Oslo II Accord dividing the region into several areas, including Area C which 61% of the West Bank region is composed of. Area C designated zones are under full Israeli administration compared to Areas A and B which respectively are under the administration of the Palestinians, and joint administration of both Israelis and Palestinians. Area C zones, despite being Israeli-controlled, have a large population of Palestinians within their borders. Area C zones in the West Bank have already often had issues in obtaining regular healthcare, medical procedures, and emergency care.
Following July’s raid, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported the Israeli military was also demolishing and blocking roads, hampering emergency medical response. MSF also reported Israeli forces throwing tear gas canisters outside the Khalil Suleiman Hospital where treatment could no longer be administered because of the smoke.
For more on the developing conflict, read here.
By Grace Wang