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 was the most intense one since 2002 in terms of the scale of the destruction and casualties. A total of 39 Palestinians were killed during according to the Ministry of Health.

In Jenin, the 9-day incursion was extremely destructive. A large part of the road infrastructure was destroyed, as well as electricity and water connections, particularly in the refugee camp and eastern neighbourhood of the city. The population was trapped, with restricted access to healthcare as military vehicles were placed in front of the hospitals and ambulances and health workers were repeatedly searched and even attacked. Access to electricity, water and other basic necessities were compromised, and residents faced the risk of being shot when leaving their homes.

These increasingly frequent and unpredictable incursions in West Bank are taking a heavy toll on Palestinian’s physical and mental health. An important part of the population lives with an ongoing trauma and with the constant fear of the next incursion.

MSF activities were heavily impacted by the large-scale incursion in Jenin: usual training and mental health activities were put on hold, while as the incursion continued, a donation of medication, diapers and baby milk was made to the volunteers delivering basic items to the people who got trapped in the camp. Since the Israeli Forces left on Friday 6th of September, MSF teams donated water bottles and water tanks and resumed their psychological first-aid activities.

In this context of recurrent and increased violence, the mental health of the population is extremely worrying, particularly since the start of the war in Gaza. A total of 705 Palestinians have been killed and 5,700 wounded in West Bank since the 7th October 2023 according to the Ministry of Health.

People receiving psychological support report being hopeless, anxious and fearful about the constant fear of upcoming incursions, children facing insomnia, trauma and other related problems.