In the early morning of August 28, Israeli forces launched a large-scale military incursion in the cities of Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas. The incursion is considered the most intense one since 2002 in terms of the scale of the destruction and causalities. As of September 4, 33 Palestinians have been killed and 140 injured according to the Ministry of Health. A large part of the road infrastructure has been destroyed, as well as the access to electricity and water supplies, particularly in the city of Jenin. This coupled with the repeated attacks on ambulances and health workers are severely hindering patient’s access to medical facilities and is having an impact on the activities of the hospitals surrounded by the military forces. The impact of these increasingly frequent and unpredictable incursions in West Bank are having a heavy toll on Palestinian’s physical and mental health.

In Jenin and Tulkarm, MSF activities are heavily impacted by the current situation. Staff are unable to leave their house for security reasons, and the rest of activities are almost totally paralysed. Few donations were done to paramedic volunteers in the Jenin refugee camp but our action is very limited. In Hebron, where Israeli forces started blocking the accesses as a retaliation measure following the killing of 3 Israelian police officers, MSF teams cannot deploy mobile clinics and are unable to work in the maternity located in the north of the city.