"It is not only difficult, but also unsafe to reach the hospital during clashes," said Wissam Baker, the director of Jenin's hospital.

Patients needing dialysis, chemotherapy or maternity care are particularly vulnerable, he said, as delays in treatment could be life-threatening.

Yet their lives are also at risk when trying to get treatment.

"During any incursion, those people, they have a difficulty in reaching the hospital," Baker said.

Israeli forces have mounted several raids over the past year, which they call "counter-terrorism operations", targeting Jenin's refugee camp, known as a stronghold for militant groups.

Since the Gaza war began on October 7 last year, the frequency and intensity of these raids have escalated. At least 711 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, according to the UN.

Ambulances have come under army fire and are invariably searched, health workers and locals said, while roads leading to the hospital are frequently blocked.

Hazem Masarwa, a paramedic with decades of experience, pointed to bullet holes in his ambulance.

"Before October 7, the obstacles were minor," he said, referring to the day Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel, triggering war in Gaza.

But now, "with every raid they carry out, they close the entrances to hospitals... it has become routine," he said.

Masarwa has witnessed two patients die from a lack of access to health care in the past year.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported 804 violations of its medical missions in the West Bank and east Jerusalem over that period.

It said at least 14 people "died because they were kept from receiving the emergency medical services that they needed".

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army disputed these accounts, calling them "untrue" and alleging "terrorists" were hiding in ambulances.

It said efforts were underway to "reduce the delay" for medical services.