It is with mixed emotions that I write to you today, a week after the assault on Jenin. On the one hand, there is a sense of relief after seeing an end to Israel’s indiscriminate attack on unprotected civilians. On the other hand, it is only a matter of time before we face another assault. Last Wednesday, a day after Israeli forces retreated, I visited Jenin. The horrors of the offensive’s aftermath still linger in my mind, as do the names and faces of those who lost their lives.

The destruction in the refugee camp is shocking – massive devastation, buildings covered in soot, burnt homes and businesses, destroyed infrastructure, and thousands of bullets in the walls of houses. As always in times of crisis, we are receiving an influx of assistance requests, and in the last few days, we’ve received long lists of critical drugs and medical supplies urgently needed by the hospitals around Jenin. 

Each military assault further exasperates the already intolerable circumstances in the West Bank. Amid the extreme suffering and distress, it is our moral duty to provide support. In times like these, we must do everything we can to help, even if it is insufficient. I have been closely monitoring the situation in recent days to see when we can enter Jenin and provide urgent medical services. Even the little help we can offer makes a difference.

During my visit to Jenin, I spoke to medical personnel working in the refugee camp and its surroundings. Dr. Mohammed Al-Abadi of the governmental hospital reported that a small staff was treating 95 wounded patients, some arriving in private vehicles after ambulances were blocked from evacuating them. He also shared that huge quantities of tear gas were fired into the courtyard when the hospital was attacked, and the staff was forced to provide care while vacating the emergency room.

Dr. Baraa Hamoudi described a similar scenario at Ibn Sina Hospital, where 120 wounded were treated as 200 residents found shelter in the courtyard after being driven out of their homes. Jenin Red Crescent director Mahmoud al-Saadi reported the evacuation of 118 wounded and described incidents of delayed and blocked medical personnel, military vehicles ramming into ambulances, and the confiscation of two ambulances’ keys for over 30 minutes, preventing them from operating.

The last two months have been some of the hardest since the Second Intifada. We have been observing this every Saturday during our Mobile Clinic field days. Resources are in greater shortage than ever, and residents’ fears of settler and military violence are directly harming their health. In times like these, we must show humanity’s capacity for good, do what we can to help, and stand in solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank.

Sincerely,
Salah Haj Yahya
Mobile Clinic director
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI)