The Palestinian Ministry of Health has strongly condemned two disturbing incidents that occurred in the West Bank involving emergency medical crews on Saturday. In the first incident, an ambulance driver tragically lost his life at the hands of Israeli settlers while attempting to transport injured Palestinians to safety. The second incident involved another ambulance crew being detained and questioned by the Israel Defense Forces outside a hospital in the West Bank.
The Ministry, along with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, has called upon international health organizations, human rights institutions, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to take immediate action to address the escalating mistreatment of medical facilities and personnel by the occupation forces and settlers. They emphasized the urgent need to allow medical teams to carry out their vital humanitarian work without hindrance.
According to the Ministry, the deliberate targeting of medics, ambulances, treatment centers, and medical staff, as well as the obstruction of their movements and prevention from reaching those in need of medical assistance, represents a clear violation of international humanitarian law and established norms and treaties.
