GENEVA, June 27 (KUNA) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday warned of repeated attacks by Israeli occupying forces on healthcare facilities in the West Bank documenting 844 attacks between October 2023 and mid-June 2025, which resulted in 31 deaths and 168 injuries.
Speaking online from (Jerusalem) during a press conference in Geneva, Head of WHO's Office for Occupied Palestinian Territory Rick Peeperkorn warned about the worsening health crisis in the West Bank driven by intensifying military Isreali occupation operations, rising settler violence, repeated attacks on healthcare and severe access restrictions that continue to obstruct the delivery of vital services.
Peeperkorn detailed that 65 health facilities had been targeted 24 mobile clinics and 567 ambulances across the West Bank. He noted that 67 percent of these attacks occurred in areas such as (Jenin) and (Tulkarem) and involved raids on ambulances, detentions of patients and health personnel blocked access to facilities and the use of force against medical teams.
He added that of the 559 health facilities assessed by WHO in June 71 facilities including 43 run by the Palestinian Ministry of Health face partial accessibility due to insecurity physical barriers and repeated closures.
He added that almost 7,000 people in 10 communities have minimal access to primary healthcare due to movement restrictions delays and checkpoint closures.
Peeperkorn also stressed the impact of the Palestinian Authority's financial crisis exacerbated by Israeli occupation's withholding of tax revenues since October 2023.
"Only 345 out of 476 government-run health facilities are fully functional," he said, citing shortages in staff due to unpaid salaries.
Turning to Gaza, WHO's Health Emergency Coordinator Luca Pigozzi stated that "more than 1,000 international doctors and nurses have been deployed to Gaza since the beginning of the year to support the health response but these efforts are far from sufficient given the immense needs." "We are facing a high rate of denial for entry of international medical staff including EMTs. Bureaucratic obstacles and insecurity severely hinder their ability to operate," he added.
Earlier this week, WHO declared Gaza the most dangerous place in the world for health workers and those seeking care documenting more than 1,500 verified attacks on healthcare between the West Bank and Gaza since October 2023 an average of three attacks per day.
"More than 720 attacks occurred in Gaza with the remainder in the West Bank. All have directly impacted both patients and healthcare workers" WHO said. (end) imk.mt