Rights group warns of mounting health risks in wake of Israeli closures around Nablus
LONDON: Israeli military closures since Friday around the occupied West Bank city of Nablus have severely disrupted access to hospitals and emergency care, an Israeli medical rights group has said.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel warned that the measures, which have effectively sealed off cities, villages and surrounding communities, have left ambulances unable to reach patients and blocked urgent medical care.
“The closures are still continuing today,” Imran Anati, a researcher in PHRI’s occupied Palestinian territory department, told Arab News on Monday. “While some checkpoints reopen from time to time, random closures are still taking place.”
He added that inspections at open checkpoints have become significantly more stringent, with vehicles checked individually, causing long delays. He said: “In practice, every vehicle is being checked individually.”
