Medical Personnel Unable to Reach Injured Patients in West Bank Hospital During Israeli Operation, MSF Reports
Medical workers in West Bank hospital unable to reach wounded during Israeli operation, says MSF chief Staff trapped in Jenin refugee camp amid ongoing raid, increasing concerns for the densely populated area
The leader of Médecins Sans Frontières expressed on Tuesday that he and his staff were unable to leave a hospital in the occupied West Banks Jenin refugee camp due to an ongoing Israeli raid. As a result, two Palestinians passed away from their injuries as ambulances were unable to reach them in the densely populated area.
"We were unable to leave for two hours to provide care and people were unable to reach us, as Israeli military vehicles blocked the entrance of the hospital and the road, preventing ambulances from leaving," Christos Christou wrote in a post on X, the social media platform.
"For a doctor, there is nothing worse than knowing that there are people in need of our care and they are unable to receive it," he added.
CNN obtained video footage showing military vehicles within the city near the refugee camp, accompanied by the sound of intense gunfire. A representative of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Jenin reported that at least three individuals had been evacuated with gunshot wounds, and further disclosed that the city's three main hospitals were encircled by Israeli forces.
The half-square kilometer camp, which is inhabited by over 17,000 Palestinian refugees, has historically been a focal point for conflict in the West Bank. Israel has consistently claimed that the area is a hotbed for terrorist activity.
Earlier this month, at least 14 Palestinians were killed in an operation in the camp, which the IDF claimed was intended to "thwart terrorist infrastructure" and demolish the home of a man who allegedly killed an off-duty Israeli soldier. Over the weekend, five Palestinians were killed in Jenin during another Israeli incursion, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated on Tuesday that they were "conducting counterterrorism activities in the area" and that the activity is expected to continue overnight.
During an interview in Tokyo on June 26, 2023, Christos Christou, the international president of the medical humanitarian aid organization Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), shared his insights. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)
Mahmoud Al-Saadi, spokesman for PRCS Jenin, informed CNN that the Israeli military had surrounded all three main hospitals in Jenin - the Jenin government hospital, Ibn Sina hospital, and Al-Razi hospital - and was inspecting every ambulance traveling to or from these facilities.
Three gunshot injuries have been transported to hospitals tonight amidst heavy gunfire and clashes, with the sound of distant explosions filling the air, according to Al-Saadi. Furthermore, Al-Saadi mentioned that a man in his twenties with special needs was removed from an ambulance and apprehended by Israeli forces earlier in the day.
The man was shot in the leg and as paramedics tried to take him to Jenin Government Hospital, he was detained by the Israeli military, according to Al-Saadi. The PRCSs emergency medical services team who were treating the injured man were also detained by the Israeli military in front of the hospital for approximately an hour, he added.
"The ambulance was detained by the Israeli military for approximately one hour outside the hospital before the injured man was transferred to an Israeli military ambulance," Al-Saadi reported.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has had a growing impact on the West Bank, resulting in settler attacks and confrontations that have led to the deaths of numerous Palestinians.
At least 240 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or Israeli settlers in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since October 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
