The international community must stop Israel’s siege on Nablus, PA tells WHO

The Palestinian Authority (PA) called on the World Health Organisation yesterday, requesting immediate intervention to lift Israel’s tight blockade on the northern West Bank city of Nablus and Jenin, and provide protection for medical staff and patients.

During a meeting in Ramallah, PA Health Minister, Mai Al-Kaila, condemned the continuous Israeli aggression on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and demanded that the United Nations take serious steps to facilitate the movement of Palestinian patients and medical staff between cities.

Nablus and the neighbouring villages have been under a tight Israeli military siege for two weeks, with most of the entrances to the city closed using mounds of earth, heavy concrete barriers, metal bars or checkpoints.

The siege, according to Wafa news agency, has resulted in almost daily delays and traffic jams, with drivers often finding themselves with no choice but to drive on rough terrain to get in and out of the city, including medical staff and patients.

In a letter to the WHO, the Palestinian Minister also stressed the need for the international community and human rights groups to put an end to the racist practices and deliberate use of excessive force against defenceless Palestinian civilians.

She issued the same letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross, requesting urgent action against Israel’s practices and the settlers’ intensifying attacks on Palestinians and their properties in the occupied West Bank city.

Some 450,000 people live in Nablus and the surrounding area, including villages and refugee camps.

Israel has killed 183 Palestinians since the start of 2022 in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, including 26 since the start of October, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said earlier this week.

In a report, the Ministry said 51 of those mentioned were from the besieged Gaza Strip, mostly during the massive Israeli offensive in August.

Since 1967, the Israeli Occupation authorities have withheld the bodies of 256 Palestinians in what has become known as the “Cemeteries of Numbers”. In addition, 76 Palestinians have been recorded lost since 1967.

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