Hebron, Palestine: Reaching people in need amid rising violence in the West Bank
Violence driving more medical needs in Hebron
As Israeli settlers and armed forces keep attacking parts of the West Bank of Palestine, Palestinians face major barriers to basic healthcare. Restrictions, risk, and repeated violence make care hard to reach. Even so, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has expanded mobile clinic work in Hebron to meet urgent medical and mental health needs.
Repeated attacks, displacement, movement limits, and worsening living conditions are affecting people's physical and mental health in Hebron.
Patient testimony: attacks near Yatta
Ismail Ibrahim, a patient from outside Yatta, a city in Hebron district, says he has been attacked three times in recent months.
“Settlers sprayed pepper spray on my face while I was working in an olive grove the family had been raising for years,” he says. “They grazed animals among the olive trees, damaging the land, destroying and breaking the trees. When the police arrived, they told us we weren't allowed to speak to the settlers.”
At least 77 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers this year in the West Bank, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This figure is already higher than the whole of 2025.
Since March, between 17% and 38% of our psychological consultations were linked to intentional violence. That is up from 13% or less at the start of the year.
Between January and July, MSF teams gave more than 1,930 one-to-one mental health consultations and ran 436 group therapy sessions through mobile work and a fixed consultation room. In the same period, our teams in Hebron also received nearly 170 alerts about home demolitions, injuries, or attacks on the water and sanitation system.
MSF carried out 27 rapid responses. These can include mental health support or essential items such as mattresses or tarpaulin.
Growing barriers to medical care
In addition to the violence, movement limits and a collapsing health system are making care harder to get.
“We have seen growing demand for our medical services because people face hard economic conditions and cannot afford private healthcare,” says Dr Mohammad Haroub, assistant medical coordinator for MSF in Hebron.
A shortage of health workers adds to the issue. Following its offensive in Gaza, Israel withheld billions in tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority, impacting health worker salaries. This has resulted in fewer working hours and some clinics being fully closed.
Many Palestinians face difficulties reaching care due to risk factors, checkpoints, and road closures.
"The limited health services and shortages of staff and medicines have created an extra burden," explains Dr. Haroub. "Some patients have gone days without medication."
Aisha, a woman from a village near Yatta, shared, "Life feels heavy with settler attacks. I'm afraid all the time. My relatives hardly sleep." Her trip to the clinic took longer due to these risks and detours. Her mother-in-law has diabetes and high blood pressure, but Aisha says, "not all the medicines are available" nearby.
Service Limits Amid Uncertainty
From January to July, we provided 7,595 outpatient medical consultations in Hebron, including 1,910 focused on sexual and reproductive health. In June and July, we expanded from five to eight mobile clinics, resulting in 1,450 and 1,397 consultations, the highest monthly totals of 2026, reflecting a 26% increase from previous months. Common health issues included women's health, non-communicable diseases, upper respiratory infections, and conjunctivitis.
This increase followed a cut in over half of our mobile services earlier in the year, when Israeli authorities revoked our registration and limited access to areas like the armed H2 neighbourhood in Hebron and the Masafer Yatta hills.
To reach patients in communities we could no longer access, MSF opened new clinics near Area C, controlled by Israeli forces, to maintain service availability. Despite these efforts, teams continue to face significant operational challenges.
"Every day, we don't know if we can reach the clinic. The situation is always changing," says Elisa Tamimi,
"Israeli authorities must cease all measures displacing Palestinians, ensure access to healthcare and aid, protect civilians, and adhere to international law," says Joan Tubau,
Aisha says they are not asking for much: “I hope life can return to how it was before the war. I hope people can live with dignity. I want people to go out without fear, to have healthcare, education, and basic necessities.”
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