Jenin / PNN /
Currently, a team from Doctors Without Borders is providing healthcare in the city of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, following a large-scale military operation carried out by Israeli forces on the refugee camp in the city. This operation is considered the most violent in the West Bank since 2002, resulting in the killing of at least 8 people and injuring 91 others in a ground and aerial attack that caused numerous gunshot and shrapnel wounds.
In addition to the casualties, Israeli airstrikes destroyed healthcare facilities and hindered the medical response to the emergency. Several gas canisters fell in the courtyard of Khalil Suleiman Hospital, where Doctors Without Borders staff were treating patients with gunshot injuries since 2 a.m.
Yuvana Arsenievich, the field coordinator of Doctors Without Borders in Jenin, said, "The intensity of the airstrikes in Jenin has increased to unprecedented levels. We have witnessed many patients with gunshot wounds, and we received 55 injured individuals."
Military bulldozers destroyed several roads leading to the Jenin refugee camp, stripped them of sidewalks, and made it almost impossible for ambulances to reach patients. During the military operation, Israeli forces forced Palestinian paramedics to advance on foot in an area subjected to continuous gunfire and drone strikes. Furthermore, all roads leading to the camp were closed throughout the operation, despite the presence of patients in desperate need of healthcare inside the camp.
Arsenievich added, "We have been working for 15 hours, and patients continue to come to the hospital. It is an unprecedented and prolonged military operation, and there are still inaccessible victims. Medical caregivers must be allowed to reach patients without obstacles."
The airstrike on July 3rd was the eighth Israeli military attack in 2023, raising the death toll during military operations in Jenin to 48 this year. The obstacles preventing medical care increase as the intensity of the airstrikes escalates.
Israeli forces increasingly rely on aerial support during the military airstrikes in Jenin, which is a concerning development in the use of violence. Today, at least 10 airstrikes were reported in Jenin.
Arsenievich stated, "The raids on the Jenin camp began following a familiar pattern: ambulances collided several times with armored vehicles, and patients and medical caregivers were continuously prevented from entering or leaving the camp. This is the second time we have witnessed the hospital being targeted with tear gas canisters. However, the use of attack helicopters and drone strikes in such a densely populated area represents a clear and heinous escalation in the severity and intensity of violence. We have witnessed tear gas bombs being launched at the hospital where we treat patients. Medical facilities, ambulances, and patients must be respected."
Doctors Without Borders also stated that their team in Jerusalem is conducting a donation campaign of medicines and medical equipment for hospitals in Jenin today. They explained that their teams are working hand in hand with Palestinian medical personnel at Khalil Suleiman Hospital.
It should be noted that Doctors Without Borders has been operating in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1989 and currently runs medical humanitarian projects in Jenin, Nablus, Hebron, and Gaza, focusing on mental and medical health services.
