Rights group says Israeli closures endanger West Bank patients

LONDON (MNTV) — Israeli military closures around the occupied West Bank city of Nablus have severely disrupted access to hospitals and emergency medical services, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), which warned that the restrictions are placing civilian lives at risk.

The Israeli rights organization said closures imposed since Friday have effectively isolated Nablus and surrounding towns and villages, preventing ambulances from reaching patients and delaying urgent medical treatment.

PHRI researcher Imran Anati told Arab News that while some checkpoints have reopened intermittently, Israeli forces continue to impose unpredictable closures and conduct intensive inspections of individual vehicles, creating lengthy delays for civilians and emergency responders.

The restrictions followed a deadly incident near Nablus on July 24. Since then, medical personnel have reported increasing difficulties transporting patients to hospitals or responding to emergencies.

According to AFP, an unborn Palestinian baby died early Monday after an ambulance carrying a critically ill pregnant woman from the village of Qaryut was delayed at the Awarta checkpoint while en route to a hospital in Nablus.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society also said roadblocks prevented 12 dialysis patients from reaching scheduled treatment sessions. PHRI documented additional cases of patients stranded at checkpoints, including people waiting inside ambulances for permission to pass.

To address the growing humanitarian needs, the Palestine Red Crescent established 72 first-aid stations across the northern and southern West Bank to improve access to emergency care. However, PHRI said the measures have not eliminated major gaps in medical services.

The organization reported that several women were unable to reach hospitals for childbirth. Two gave birth inside ambulances, while another delivered at a clinic in Aqraba after medical teams were prevented from evacuating her. In another reported case, an ambulance was denied passage near an Israeli settlement and forced to turn back.

PHRI said preventing ambulances from reaching the wounded and restricting access to healthcare places civilians in immediate danger. The organization called on Israeli authorities to guarantee unhindered movement for medical personnel and patients, citing obligations under international humanitarian law.

Separately, PHRI said Israeli forces entered Nablus Specialized Hospital on Friday while searching for a body, disrupting hospital operations. The organization said military activity inside a functioning hospital undermines medical neutrality and the legal protections afforded to healthcare facilities during armed conflict.

The Israeli military has said it is preparing expanded counterterrorism operations in the area following Friday’s violence in the village of Tal, where at least four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced plans to accelerate the establishment and legalization of farm outposts in the occupied West Bank.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that by late 2025 there were 925 active movement obstacles across the West Bank, a 43 percent increase compared with the 20-year average, affecting approximately 3.4 million Palestinians. 

UN figures also show that Israel has killed 1,114 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023, the overwhelming majority by Israeli forces, with at least 35 deaths linked to settler attacks.