Following an Israeli military operation ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday evening, large portions of the occupied West Bank have been subject to widespread closures and checkpoint restrictions that have severely impacted medical transport and healthcare access for Palestinians.
Ambulance crews have reported that routine medical trips have been dramatically extended, with journeys that normally require 20 kilometers now necessitating up to 100 kilometers of travel to navigate the imposed restrictions. Even with prior coordination and permission, ambulance drivers have experienced multi-hour delays at checkpoints. The closures have been particularly severe in the Nablus Governorate, though restrictions extend through Ramallah and southward to the Bethlehem Governorate. Medical professionals describe the current restrictions as the most severe experienced since October 2023.
The movement restrictions have already resulted in documented fatalities. A pregnant woman from Qaryut who was severely bleeding experienced a prolonged checkpoint delay that resulted in the death of her unborn child. A three-month-old infant died after soldiers refused to open a military gate blocking access to hospitals, and a 30-year-old woman died of cardiac arrest when soldiers would not allow her ambulance to pass during a town siege. In one instance, doctors at a small clinic in Aqraba were forced to deliver two babies without proper medical facilities or equipment due to the inability to reach equipped hospitals in Nablus.
The restrictions occur within a broader context of mounting obstacles to movement throughout the territory. The United Nations has documented approximately 925 Israeli-imposed obstacles affecting an estimated 3.4 million Palestinians. Additionally, the West Bank healthcare system faces a worsening medical supply shortage and financial strain resulting from Israeli withholding of tax revenues designated for the Palestinian Authority. Healthcare researchers have documented 233 attacks on healthcare facilities, workers, and ambulances across the West Bank in 2025 alone.
Medical professionals and human rights organizations have characterized the closures as collective punishment and violations of international humanitarian law, calling for immediate restoration of safe passage for ambulances and medical personnel.
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