Emergency statement on the health and human rights crisis in the West Bank
A view of the destruction in the area revealed following the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Jenin refugee camp, 23 May 2024
The Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council writes in Mondoweiss on 1 July 2024:
Over the past few months, the Israeli military assault in Gaza has killed and injured more than 100,000 people and has decimated health care, education, and housing infrastructure. While international attention has been focused on the catastrophe in Gaza, another crisis is unfolding in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 544 Palestinians have been killed (including 126 children) and over 5,200 injured (including 800 children) by the Israeli military and Jewish settlers in Jerusalem and the West Bank (6/16/24). The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner decries “day after day of unprecedented bloodshed…The killing, destruction and widespread human rights violations are unacceptable, and must cease immediately. Israel must not only adopt but enforce rules of engagement that are fully in line with applicable human rights norms and standards.”
The Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council would like to highlight the following urgent concerns:
- The Israeli military has intensified land incursions since October, especially targeting refugee camps. Before the Hamas attack, the Israeli military launched an average of 600 raids per month. Since then, the number has risen to over 1,000 monthly, with increased closures and blockades, including in Area A, ostensibly under the civil and security control of the Palestinian Authority.
- Israeli armored vehicles deploy unprovoked lethal force against Palestinian protesters who pose no imminent threat. These attacks have been accompanied by a systematic denial of medical assistance to the injured.