West Bank: Clashes, Raids, Arrests Worsen Mental Health Issues Among MSF Patients

Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza were preceded by several weeks of raids and arrests by Israeli forces in the West Bank in response to the abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers. And though Gaza is the center of attention at present, for obvious reasons, the raids are ongoing in the West Bank as well. Hundreds of violent incursions and arrests have been carried out, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries, and bringing about a further deterioration in people's mental health.

While supporting Gaza's Al Shifa hospital and running its own projects to the extent possible amidst the widespread bombing of the territory, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mental health teams have also provided psychological support to 1,146 people in Hebron and the surrounding areas between mid-June and mid-July. Anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosomatic problems, and feelings of harassment are the most common problems experienced by patients.