The first health issue in Palestine is the occupation of Israel Health

In Palestine, the extent of what Israel has done to the Palestinian people since October 7, 2023, is clear: They have disrupted the ability of the Palestinian people to live a dignified and healthy life. This should be clearly stated. The policies used in the Gaza Strip and the strategy found in the occupied West Bank, reflect Israel’s increasing project of conquering Palestine through occupation.

More than 1,000 days have passed since Israel’s massacre in Gaza began, and the punishment of Palestine continues to this day. In the middle of the so-called end of the war, the world has changed to see Palestinians being maimed and killed every day in their tents, in hospitals and on the streets.

The words “stop fighting” have no meaning. As I write these lines, the number of casualties continues to rise, as does the indifference to the Gaza crisis, the biggest failure of global politics in recent decades.

June was the deadliest month since the ceasefire began in October. As of July 18, Israel has killed 1,144 Palestinians and wounded 3,703 since the announcement of the decision, increasing the number of people killed since the beginning of the war, which has exceeded 73,200.

Israel is expanding its military control of the Strip and its “Yellow Line” continues to move steadily westward. This development puts anyone who approaches the line – often just trying to reach their settlements, collect firewood or find food – at risk of being shot down.

But it is not only violence. When the “Yellow Line” runs, it forces more than two million people to live on one of the three sections of the Line. This is no coincidence. It creates overcrowding where disease spreads easily and needs go unmet. We see the consequences in our hospitals: respiratory diseases, skin diseases and diarrhea, driven by the lack of clean water and sanitation and inhumane lifestyles.

The West Bank has turned violent since October 7, 2023. The Israeli government, military settlers and state-sponsored forces have accelerated ethnic cleansing, land theft, confiscation, territorial division and economic disruption, and further undermined Palestinian existence and continuity.

Palestinians are being hunted from their homes, schools and communities while the attackers go unpunished. In Nablus and Hebron, we receive patients who are experiencing pain and depression associated with the escalating violence and restrictions on movement, which limit every aspect of their lives, including access to medical care.

Israel has continued to systematically block access to medical care in the West Bank and deliberately violate medical services in Gaza.

Medical staff, patients, ambulances and hospitals have all been targeted.

On October 26, 2024, during an attack on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, Dr Mohammed Obeid, a surgeon who works for Doctors Without Borders (also known by its French name MSF), was arrested along with 57 other people. He is one of more than 95 Palestinian medical workers arrested by the Israeli army. To this day, Obeid remains in Israeli prison without charge. We continue to call for his immediate and unconditional release.

The killings have taken their toll on the working class in Gaza, and it will take years to reverse. At least 1,700 health workers have been killed since October 2023, including 15 of our MSF team. No one is safe in Gaza.

Palestinian access to medical care has also been restricted since Israeli authorities shut down 37 humanitarian agencies in January. Israel is preventing us from bringing international workers and critical supplies to Gaza and the West Bank. Although some humanitarian aid has entered Gaza, it is not enough. These arbitrary restrictions are part of Israel’s long-standing, punitive policy against the Palestinian people and the organizations that try to help them.

Whether you have passed direct violence, destroying the health system or hindering public support, cause hunger, industrial water, causing high levels of immaturity and death between babies and the number of miscarriages, or denial of care, Israel is destroying the health of Palestinians. From where I sit, it is clear: The first health issue in Palestine is the Israeli occupation.

Israel’s ways have been accepted. World leaders have changed Israel’s behavior. Through political support, military support or silence, it has allowed its policies to continue.

The situation is unbearable. In Gaza, genocide continues, and in the West Bank, ethnic cleansing is on the rise.

A radical change in policy is essential, one that prioritizes the dignity of the Palestinian people, the safety of civilians, ensuring that people are not deprived of access to humanitarian aid and that all governments are held accountable. Without change, the next 1,000 days will bring a continuation of the devastating reality that will cost many Palestinian lives.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect Al Jazeera’s influence.