Israeli army blocks water supply to Jenin public hospital

By Awad Rjoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army blocked water trucks from reaching Jenin Government Hospital on Saturday, potentially disrupting kidney dialysis services for patients.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli forces stopped water tankers from the Jenin Civil Defense from reaching the hospital.

Dargham Zakarneh, director of the Jenin Civil Defense Center, said Israeli soldiers stationed at the hospital's gate blocked the water delivery.

Highlighting that the hospital's kidney dialysis department requires a daily 100 cubic meters of water to operate, he warned that blocking the trucks would bring dialysis services to a halt.

Wassim Bakr, the hospital's director, also said continued restrictions could lead to a suspension of dialysis services if the water supply remains blocked.

The Israeli army continued its military offensive in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp for the fourth consecutive day causing significant damage amid clashes that lasted throughout the night, according to eyewitnesses speaking to Anadolu.

Palestine TV broadcast videos showing the destruction in the city and its camp, including extensive damage in the eastern neighborhood, where attacks targeted shops, infrastructure, and the Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque.

The television reported that the clashes expanded to the town of Kafr Dan west of Jenin, where the army besieged a house amid armed confrontations.

The Israeli army launched a large-scale operation in the northern West Bank cities of Tulkarm, Jenin, and Tubas early Wednesday, described as the "largest" since 2002.

On Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the death toll in the northern West Bank since early Wednesday has risen to 20.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 674 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 others injured, and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara