West Bank: Palestinian daily life consumed by new wave of violence as world looks elsewhere
https://www.msf.org/west-bank-palestinian-daily-life-consumed-new-wave-violence-world-looks-elsewhere
The military often comes at night, soldiers swarming the neighbourhood, breaking into our homes, destroying our property and arresting people en masse,” says Sari Ahmad, from Al-Fakhiet in the Masafer Yatta area of the West Bank, in Palestine. “Our houses are being seized and demolished. And the settler attacks have grown more brutal and deadly. Most of them are armed nowadays and they shoot to kill.”
Sari, who suffers from diabetes, received treatment from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams until January, however, as violence and movement restrictions have increased, our teams can no longer reach the dozens of people in need in the area.
In recent weeks, the dramatic escalation in the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has added another layer of violence and fear across Palestine.
Unlike in Israeli towns and cities, where shelters and warning systems are widespread, most Palestinians in the West Bank have no access to shelters or protected spaces. When debris falls, families have little choice but to stay inside and hope.
While the world turns its attention to the flying missiles, the Israeli forces have been intensifying their military operations across the West Bank. Most checkpoints remain closed, which means normal daily activities are now even more time consuming, and at times impossible, for most people, while also carrying the risk of injury or death from unprovoked Israeli attacks.
Violence by Israeli settlers has increased in several areas across the West Bank. Residents report settlers entering Palestinian villages or farmland while openly carrying weapons, as well as attacking Palestinians in their cars as they move from place to place.
Violence and fear shape people’s lives in the West Bank
Between 7 October 2023 and 7 March 2026, 1,071 Palestinians, including 233 children, have been killed in the West Bank, and Jerusalem1. Eleven were killed by settlers this year alone.
“It is shocking and deeply disturbing,” says Salam Yousef, an MSF staff member in the West Bank. “They attack and kill people without consequences — it feels like there is no justice for us, like our lives don’t count.”
“Last week, they [Israeli forces] shot a family of six who were driving home,” says Yousef. “Only two of the sons survived; they are orphans now — their family was killed in front of them; their brothers were seven and five years old.”
“The psychological toll of this environment is immense,” says Elsa Salvatore, MSF psychotherapist in Nablus. “It’s not only about physical violence from settler attacks or what happens at checkpoints. In our sessions, people often speak about the humiliation they experience daily and the constant uncertainty.”
“They become hyper-vigilant, unable to sleep, always expecting something bad to happen,” says Salvatore. “Most people have stopped making plans. Many suffer from symptoms related to post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD). Although, PTSD is not correctly describing it, because they are not ‘post’ the traumatic experience, they are still in it, continuously experiencing trauma and uncertainty.”
Doctors treating the casualties of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have urged world leaders to take action to stop the daily violation of international humanitarian laws.
And, British doctors who've worked in Gaza have spoken about the horrifying similarities between Israeli tactics inside the Palestinian territory and what's happening in Lebanon.
