The Palestine Red Crescent Society Warns of the Serious Attacks Committed against its Medical Teams Today in Nablus and Tulkarem

Nablus and Tulkarem- The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) warns of the serious attacks committed against its medical teams today in Askar camp in Nablus and Nur Shams camp in Tulkarem. Israeli occupation forces targeted a PRCS medic with two bullets in both feet while performing his humanitarian duty in Askar camp this Monday morning.

In a similar context, occupation forces denied all PRCS ambulances from accessing Nur Shams camp to deal with injuries early this morning. As an ambulance was on its way to transport a woman in labor case from the camp, occupation forces prevented the crew from reaching her, detained the team for half an hour, and forced them to take off their bulletproof vests and clothes.

In light of this, PRCS views with great concern the targeting of its medical teams, and the denial of their access to the sick and wounded, in addition to treating them in a degrading manner. These violations pose a danger to civilian lives and their physical safety. They violate the human right to access necessary medical care and put medics and health workers at risk, necessitating urgent international intervention to ensure their protection and respect for their rights.

PRCS also warns of the escalating pace of violations by Israeli occupation forces against its medical missions. The society has recorded 193 violations against its medical missions in the first half of the current year. Equivalent to roughly one violation per day.

PRCS calls on the international community to uphold its legal responsibilities in ensuring international law is respected, and to compel Israeli occupation authorities to comply with their contractual and customary legal obligations. These obligations highlight the need to respect and protect medical teams, and to facilitate their access wherever there is a need for their services.