As Israel blocks PA funding, the West Bank’s healthcare system is failing

What Happened

Hospitals across the occupied West Bank, particularly Beit Jala Government Hospital in Bethlehem governorate, are facing severe medical supply shortages and staff payment shortfalls after Israel withheld tax revenues earmarked for the Palestinian Authority (PA). The action, spearheaded by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has contributed to the PA's financial collapse. Beit Jala, the only government hospital in Bethlehem governorate serving some 320,000 people and the only public option for cancer and dialysis treatment for all of the southern West Bank, is now operating on an emergency-only basis. Staff are receiving half their salaries and working two or three days a week. Khuloud Dweib, the hospital's director of pharmacy, said the ministry recently obtained eight previously missing oncology drugs and four biologics, enough for between a month and a half and two months, but many other drugs remain out of stock. Khaldoun Atwan, head of the daytime oncology unit, said not one single complete chemotherapy protocol is available, and oncologist Hisham Amle said about 90 percent of important items, especially chemotherapy drugs, used to be available but immunotherapies and biologics are now missing. Patients are also facing Israeli checkpoints and gates that multiply travel times: a dialysis patient from Nahalin waited four to five hours at a checkpoint before taking a long detour through Jaba, Surif, Halhul and Hebron to reach the unit at 4pm for a 7-8am appointment. Milena Ansari of Physicians for Human Rights Israel said the problem is strictly that the PA has no money to buy medicines, not that Israel is blocking their entry, but added that Israel has the primary legal obligation as an occupying power to ensure adequate medical care.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The collapse of the West Bank healthcare system signals a broader destabilisation of the Palestinian Authority under Israeli financial pressure and movement restrictions. Beit Jala serves cancer and dialysis patients from Bethlehem, Hebron, parts of East Jerusalem and sometimes Jericho, making it a lifeline for hundreds of thousands. Shortages of chemotherapy drugs, biologics and immunotherapies can cause irreversible treatment interruptions, while checkpoint delays effectively deny care. The situation raises legal questions about Israel's obligations as an occupying power and risks fuelling further unrest in the West Bank amid ongoing Gaza hostilities.

Watch For

Monitor whether Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich's office or the Israeli cabinet releases withheld PA tax revenues or announces a new transfer schedule. Watch whether Beit Jala Hospital receives additional oncology drug shipments once the current supply of eight drugs and four biologics runs out in roughly one and a half to two months. Track checkpoint closures at Nabi Yunis in Halhul, Nahalin and other southern West Bank routes for their impact on patient access to dialysis and cancer appointments. Also monitor whether PA salary payments to health workers are restored or reduced further, as that determines whether staff return to full working hours.