Hebron, mars 2022 © Mohammad-Al-Qaissy

Palestine

© Mohammad-Al-Qaissy

1.9 million

internally displaced people in Gaza since October 7, 2023, which represents 90% of Gaza’s population (OCHA, Oct. 29, 2024)

 
43'061 Palestinians

killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023 (OCHA, Oct. 29, 2024)

304 humanitarian workers
killed between October 7, 2023 and September 25, 2024 (OCHA)

Médecins du Monde is carrying out various assistance programs to meet the needs on the ground. Discover our actions in Palestine.

Click here to read our latest news on the Gaza emergency

 

The humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory were forced to abandon their lands more than 75 years ago and have lived under Israeli occupation for more than 55 years. Tension has boiled over since the blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2007. The war that has been devastating the entire Gaza Strip since October 2023 has only worsened the situation.

Médecins du Monde is bearing witness to the daily difficulties faced by the Palestinians and takes action to support health facilities and ensure access to care.

The consequences of the israeli occupation

The humanitarian situation in Palestine has long been a concern of the international community.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. Of the 2.11 million people living in the Gaza Strip, 1.3 million have been refugees there for several decades. In fact, until 2023, 70% of them were living in Gaza’s eight refugee camps.

Since 2007, the already complex situation in Gaza has been aggravated by the continued land, air, and sea blockade imposed by Israel; the repeated military attacks up to 2014; and the disproportionate repression of the Great March of Return demonstrations in 2018. The deterioration of the Gaza Strip situation has taken on a completely new dimension since the October 7 attacks by Hamas and the war Israel has waged on Gaza since then.

Gaza under the bombs

The deadly Hamas attack on civilians in Israeli territory resulted in a massive and uninterrupted outburst of fury by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated territories in the world. For months, civilians, humanitarian personnel, and health facilities have been victims of massive attacks and bombardments by the Israeli military. Despite these apocalyptic conditions, Israel is drastically restricting access to all basic services and humanitarian aid. The result is a catastrophic health situation and the emergence of many preventable pathologies and infections.

  • Israeli settler impunity

    In the West Bank, the current situation has led to an increase in the number of incidents and a worsening of the security situation. The Palestinians of the West Bank suffered their deadliest year in 2023, with 499 people killed (321% more than in 2022) by settlers and the Israeli military. In July 2023, an attack on the Jenin refugee camp by the Israeli military caused numerous civilian casualties and destroyed some of the camp’s infrastructure. Médecins du Monde was present on the ground to provide mental health and psychosocial support to the local people.

    Search operations by Israeli security forces have become more frequent and have generally met with opposition from civilians. The population lives under permanent tension due to its proximity to Israeli settlements. Children and adolescents are especially at risk. Palestinians, surrounded by a large military presence, are subjected to systematic searches, harassment, and checkpoints.

    Some Israeli settlers regularly attack Palestinian communities, whose villagers frequently suffer harassment, beatings, stoning, shooting, damage to homes, destruction of crops, and even murder. These settler attacks have increased significantly in recent years and are being carried out with impunity. Indeed, an overall deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank has been observed since the far right came to power and since the attacks of October 7, 2023.

     

    On top of this trauma comes the multiple forced displacements and destruction of Palestinian homes by the Israeli occupying forces (1,010 homes destroyed in 2023 in the West Bank).

  • All this has a severe impact on the mental health of the Palestinian population.

    However, the mental health disorders resulting from the war of occupation are rarely treated. Medical personnel are poorly trained to detect them, and there are too few facilities where the victims can seek help for their needs. The problem is made worse by the stigmatization of psychological and mental problems, which makes families reluctant to turn to care centers.

Our humanitarian action in Occupied Palestinian Territory

Médecins du Monde is working to integrate mental health into primary healthcare in Gaza and the West Bank.

Prévention du suicide chez les jeunes © Pierre-William Henry

© Pierre-William Henry

Preventing suicide among youth

Primary and psychological healthcare

  • Impact in 2023

    Through our actions in 2023:

    • 12,376 people who suffered physical, sexual, or psychological violence were provided care.
    • 7,347 people were provided specialized and individualized support as part of MdM’s emergency response in the Gaza Strip from October 2023.
    • 149 people were sensitized about mental health and suicide.
    • 2,733 people were provided emergency assistance following violence committed by settlers and/or Israeli security forces in the West Bank, within 72 hours after the incidents.
    • 189 professionals from healthcare facilities and schools were trained on mental health disorders, early detection and referral of people at risk (especially for suicide), and stress management.
  • 46'451

    beneficiaries in 2023

46'451

beneficiaries in 2023

Background
  • 1994

    Activities with the Tulkarem orphanage begin.

  • 1995

    The second Israeli-Palestinian conference on health held in Jerusalem. Conference chaired by Prof. Nago Humbert, founder of MdM Switzerland.

  • 2009

    Construction of the Halhul-Hebron Community Mental Health Center for Children and Adolescents

    – Assistance in staff recruitment and preparation for the opening of the center.

     

     

  • 2016

    The first activities of the “Child and Detention” project begin.

    Following a field study carried out by Médecins du Monde teams between 2014 and 2015, an innovative project for Palestinian children who had formerly been held in detention began in the Hebron Governorate in order to promote the psychosocial well-being of these young people and assist in their reintegration through the creation of peer groups. Various activities took place in the Al-Arrub refugee camp and the village of Beit Ummar, including the setting up of a psychosocial care center and the organization of recreational and educational events managed by the young people themselves.

    Thanks to the implementation of an innovative approach in Palestine, focused on outreach social work, the Médecins du Monde team was able to establish relationships of trust with children, their parents, and the entire community. In this way, psychosocial centers were fitted out to provide care to young people in the Al-Arroub refugee camp and the village of Beit Ummar in the Hebron Governorate. Throughout the year, educators carried out therapeutic and cultural activities with young people and their mothers, providing ongoing support in family and societal reintegration after a traumatic period of confinement.

  • 2019

    MdM Switzerland’s activities in Gaza begin.

  • 2020

    To support an emergency response to Covid-19, MdM responded to 33,866 people in need, via distribution of protective equipment, the donation of essential medicines, individual and collective psychological counseling, and awareness-raising sessions.

     

    To mitigate the impact of the pandemic and ensure continued provision of essential services, between 2020 and 2022 MdM Switzerland launched large-scale mental health awareness and support programs among the most vulnerable communities in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.