The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has accused Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank of deliberately obstructing ambulances, preventing emergency teams from reaching injured civilians during recent waves of settler and military violence.

In a video released Thursday, PRCS documented an incident in Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, where a settler attempted to block an ambulance en route to assist victims of a settler attack. Local residents had reported multiple injuries following the assault.

A similar obstruction occurred Wednesday evening in Kafr Malik, where PRCS teams were responding to an attack that left three Palestinians dead and seven wounded. The assault was reportedly carried out by settlers with support from Israeli occupation forces.

PRCS spokesperson Nibal Farsakh told WAFA that medical teams are facing increasing threats and delays due to settler aggression and the proliferation of Israeli military checkpoints. “These actions pose a direct threat to the safety of our teams and to the lives of those in need of medical care,” she said.

Farsakh emphasized that the frequency of attacks on ambulances has surged since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023. She described a pattern of gunfire, detainment, and physical assaults on medical personnel, even in cases where coordination had been arranged with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

According to DeepNewz, the June 26 incident in Turmus Ayya is part of a broader escalation in settler violence, which includes arson, home demolitions, and land seizures. Human rights groups have warned that settlers are increasingly acting with impunity under the protection of Israeli forces.

The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 explicitly prohibits attacks on medical personnel and the obstruction of humanitarian aid. PRCS and international observers argue that these violations may constitute war crimes under international law.

In a separate report, Arab News Japan noted that ambulances in the West Bank have come under direct army fire, and paramedics have documented bullet holes in emergency vehicles. Roads to hospitals are frequently blocked, further delaying critical care.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has also raised alarms about restricted access to healthcare in both Gaza and the West Bank, citing a collapse in medical infrastructure and unsafe conditions for aid workers.

PRCS has called on the international community to intervene immediately to protect medical teams and ensure unimpeded access to the wounded. “We are not just being delayed—we are being targeted,” Farsakh said.

Palestinian officials have urged the International Criminal Court to investigate these incidents as part of a broader inquiry into alleged violations of humanitarian law in the occupied territories.

As violence continues to escalate across the West Bank, the obstruction of ambulances adds a new and dangerous dimension to the crisis, threatening not only the injured but also the very principle of medical neutrality in conflict zones.

Let me know if you’d like a visual timeline of recent settler attacks or a breakdown of international legal protections for medical teams.

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