IDF Lockdown of Nablus Is Blocking Access to Emergency Healthcare, Medical Groups Say
Palestinian medical organizations say checkpoints are preventing patients from reaching hospitals in Nablus, while Physicians for Human Rights says the ambulance network has been nearly paralyzed
Palestinian medical organizations and Physicians for Human Rights warned on Sunday that blockades imposed on the West Bank city of Nablus by the Israeli military are significantly restricting residents' access to healthcare and emergency medical services.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, checkpoints across the Nablus district are delaying rescue teams and the evacuation of sick and injured people to hospitals in the city, which has relatively advanced medical services compared with surrounding areas. At some checkpoints, patients are forced to wait for long periods until a soldier arrives to open the gate.
The IDF and the Civil Administration had not responded to Haaretz's request for comment by the time of publication.
Ameed Ahmad, a manager with the Palestinian Red Crescent in Nablus, told Alam Radio that checkpoints on Sunday morning delayed and, in some cases, prevented patients from entering Nablus and reaching the city's medical centers. He said 12 dialysis patients were delayed for hours before coordination allowed them to enter Nablus to receive life-saving treatment.
Ahmad said the Palestinian Red Crescent has established 72 first-aid points across the northern and southern West Bank to provide emergency care until ambulances can reach patients. The organization said it is coordinating with the International Committee of the Red Cross to facilitate the passage of medical and humanitarian cases through checkpoints.
Testimonies collected and published by Physicians for Human Rights indicate the ambulance network around Nablus has been almost completely paralyzed since most entrances to the city were closed Saturday night, although checkpoints elsewhere in the West Bank reopened overnight into Sunday.
According to data from the organization, two women gave birth in ambulances after failing to reach hospitals in time, while another delivered at a clinic in the town of Aqraba. In another case, an ambulance transporting a patient was forced to turn back after being denied passage through a checkpoint.
The Palestinian Red Crescent told Al-Quds Network that another ambulance was allowed through a checkpoint to take a woman in labor to a hospital, but her family members were barred from accompanying her.
Local media reported Monday that a pregnant woman lost her fetus after an ambulance carrying her to a hospital was delayed at the Awarta checkpoint.
The military imposed the closure on Nablus following a shooting in the village of Tell on Friday that killed four Palestinians and two Israelis.
The IDF said it is preparing for an extended operation in Nablus and is reinforcing military presence across the West Bank. It added that the operation will expand to additional villages and target what it describes as terrorist infrastructure.
Israeli forces raided a hospital in Nablus on Friday and, according to a report by Palestinian Arabic daily newspaper Al-Quds, demanded they hand over the body of one of the Palestinians killed in the clashes in Tell.
The International Committee of the Red Cross told Haaretz on Sunday that it is closely monitoring the situation in the northern West Bank.
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"Hospitals and emergency medical personnel are protected under the Geneva Conventions," the organization emphasized. "They must be allowed to carry out their life-saving work, and they must not be targets of violence."
Pat Griffiths, the ICRC's spokesperson in Jerusalem, said the organization is using its dialogue with Israeli authorities "to try to facilitate the passage of ambulances and healthcare workers in their efforts to assist others."
Imran Anati, a West Bank researcher for Physicians for Human Rights, said imposing "a siege on entire Palestinian communities and preventing ambulances from passing directly endangers civilian lives."
"The reports from Nablus – of ambulances unable to move, patients denied access to basic medical care, and women forced to give birth outside hospitals – illustrate the high human cost of these restrictions," he said. "The Israeli authorities must immediately ensure the safe and unhindered passage of ambulances and medical personnel, in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law."