Qalqilya:Palestinians held a protest on Tuesday against the decision by the UN Palestinian Refugees Agency to close its hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya. The protest was organized by representatives of official institutions, the Popular Committee for Refugee Services, and the local community, who gathered at the courtyard of the UNRWA-run hospital to voice their opposition.
According to Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA – English, Mohammad Khader, a representative of Qalqilya Governor, emphasized the importance of the hospital as a vital healthcare and humanitarian institution that has been serving refugees since 1951. He underscored the necessity of preserving the hospital's operations, stating that this responsibility should not be neglected due to financial or administrative reasons.
Abdul Rahim Jabr, head of the Popular Committee for Refugee Services, urged the UNRWA administration to reconsider the closure, specifically calling for the reopening of the internal medicine and maternity departments, as well as the protection of employees' rights and job security. He stated that healthcare services are a fundamental right of refugees and affirmed that peaceful protests will persist until their demands are met.
The UNRWA-run hospital in Qalqilya, established in 1951, has a capacity of 63 beds and serves more than 17,000 refugee families in the governorate. The Agency had previously closed the internal medicine department in December 2025 and the maternity department in March 2026 as part of measures to reduce services, impacting both the hospital and its employees.