NABLUS, Wednesday, October 26, 2022 (WAFA) – A diplomatic delegation today visited the West Bank city of Nablus, which remains besieged by the Israeli army for the 16th consecutive day, to check first-hand the situation.
The delegation, comprising diplomats and representatives of 17 countries, made their way to the Old City of Nablus, which has recently become the scene of deadly Israeli army raids that resulted in the killing of five Palestinians on October 25 and another on October 23.
They also made a stop at the sealed-off entrance of Deir Sharaf village, west of the city, as well as at the Beit Furik checkpoint, east of the city.
The delegation’s visit to the city was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in cooperation with the Office of the Nablus Governor.
Nablus Mayor Sami Hijjawi highlighted to the delegation the implications of the Israeli siege imposed on the city, which has brought daily life in it to a virtual halt with devastating economic impacts on its residents.
He added that as a result of the 16-day siege, the municipality has not been able to access the wells supplying water to the city in order to carry out periodic maintenance works.
Director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) Ghassan Hamdan briefed the visiting delegation on the impacts of the siege on the economic, industrial and educational sectors as well as on settler attacks against the governorate’s residents.
He said that Israeli forces have been targeting medical crews, obstructing their movement and blocking them from accessing the injured.
Focusing on the suffering of kidney dialysis patients, Hamdan said that they have to wait for long hours at the army checkpoints, hindering their accessibility to medication and forcing them to receive treatment once or twice a week instead of three times.
According to Hamdan, there are 470 kidney dialysis patients in Nablus Governorate who seek treatment at al-Najah Hospital. They include 190 patients who reside outside the city and 15 others who reside in Beit Furik town.
For 15 days in a row and in a collective punishment move, the Israeli military has closed all eight surrounding military checkpoints to enter and exit Nablus. It has also erected dozens more flying checkpoints and has sealed off a network of side roads across the district, which is home to over 425,000 people spread across four refugee camps, 55 villages, and one city.
The military has also conducted large-scale nighttime raids in the city and the surrounding villages under the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.
K.F./M.K.
