Palestine

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. There are 1.9 million people living there, including 1.3 million refugees, 70% of whom live in the 8 refugee camps.

Since 2007, an already complex situation has worsened, with the land, air and sea blockades imposed by Israel, the repeated military operations up to 2014 and the disproportionate repression of the Great March of Return in 2018.

The poverty rate among the people of the Gaza Strip has reached 53%, with around a third of the population living in extreme poverty. The shortage of medicines, supplies and equipment is an ongoing problem and reached record levels in 2019 when up to 50% of essential medicines were unavailable.

There is also a deplorable lack of properly equipped health centres, emergency units and ambulances. These alarming figures leave no room for doubt about the need for medical assistance in Palestine.

In 2021, six Palestinian NGOs were declared terrorist organisations by the Israeli government. This announcement has had a negative impact on the partnerships between these organisations and international NGOS and the donor community, restricting the services they provide to the Palestinian population. International NGOs, including Médecins du Monde, see this terrorist designation as part of Israeli government practice aimed at reducing the humanitarian space.

Despite the danger and the intensification of Israeli operations in the West Bank, Médecins du Monde is maintaining its humanitarian activities in Palestine to respond to the impacts of the occupation and the war in Gaza. This is at a time when there have never been so many targeted attacks on humanitarian and healthcare workers, restrictions on access and, more generally, violations against humanitarian staff in Palestine.

Since 7 October 2023, Médecins du Monde’s teams in Gaza have been working in conditions that are extreme, both physically and psychologically. On the ground they seek to respond to the enormous needs of the population by providing emergency medical assistance. This primarily involves providing drugs and medical equipment to our partners and the Ministry of Health, despite the many obstacles. Through partnerships and existing projects, the Médecins du Monde teams have set up a number of medical facilities so that people can access care and treatment. This ranges from general medical consultations to sexual and reproductive healthcare and mental health and psychosocial support.

Médecins du Monde works in the regions of Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, Salfit and Qalqilya to provide mental health services and psychosocial support for victims of violence by settlers and the Israeli armed forces. Medical staff are trained to identify psychosocial issues so patients can be treated and where necessary referred to appropriate healthcare facilities. A referral system for mental health problems developed by MdM with the Ministry of Health was officially adopted as a tool to be used nationally.

MdM also offers direct psychosocial support, in particular through discussion groups. People who have suffered attacks or who feel under threat can come and share their experiences and problems. We have been able to offer this psychosocial support in villages and some schools in areas where children are particularly exposed to this type of violence. This helps them to build resilience and manage their stress better.

In 2022, Médecins du Monde France and the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) published a report entitled ‘No peace of mind’ about the mental health impact on Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. The report is both analytical and prescriptive and sought to highlight the invisible, but very real, mental wounds resulting from the Israeli occupation.