India to build hospital in West Bank; seeks to deploy field hospital in Gaza
India and Palestine held a groundbreaking ceremony in Jenin for a 200-bed Indian Super Speciality Hospital, with a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed to formalise the project
The hospital, expected to be completed within two years, will feature a dedicated trauma centre and is intended to serve patients from Jenin and neighbouring governorates including Tulkarm and Tubas
Officials indicated plans to deploy an Indian field hospital in Gaza, alongside broader healthcare commitments including an Artificial Limb Fitment Centre and a Vocational Training Institute for Palestinians
A consignment of essential medicines, including anti-cancer drugs, was handed over to the Palestinian Ministry of Health as part of a wider relief package
The Palestinian side called for an end to further settlement construction in the West Bank in the context of the visit
India-Palestine Bilateral Relations
India recognised the State of Palestine in 1988, becoming one of the first non-Arab countries to do so, and had earlier recognised the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974. India established full diplomatic relations with Israel only in 1992, and since then has pursued a policy often described as a "de-hyphenated" approach — engaging both Israel and Palestine independently rather than treating the relationship as a zero-sum choice.
Key Details
- India was among the earliest non-Arab states to back Palestinian statehood (1988) and PLO recognition (1974)
- India has consistently supported UN General Assembly resolutions affirming Palestinian self-determination and voted in favour of Palestine's admission as a full member of UNESCO in 2011
- India upgraded its representative office in Ramallah to an embassy-level mission and maintains development cooperation through schemes like ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation)
- India's stated position remains support for a negotiated two-state solution — a sovereign, independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel within secure and recognised borders
The hospital and field-hospital commitments are the latest instalment of India's long-running development assistance to Palestine, structured through bilateral MoUs and technical cooperation rather than political statements.
West Bank Status and Israeli Settlements Under International Law
The West Bank, along with East Jerusalem, has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War (Six-Day War). Under the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), an occupying power is prohibited from transferring its own civilian population into occupied territory, a provision that forms the legal basis for describing Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law — a position affirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) and by the International Court of Justice in its July 2024 advisory opinion.
Key Details
- The West Bank is administratively divided into Areas A, B and C under the Oslo Accords (1993, 1995), with Area C (over 60% of the territory) under full Israeli civil and military control
- UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016) reaffirmed that Israeli settlements in territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have "no legal validity" and constitute a "flagrant violation" of international law
- The ICJ's July 2024 advisory opinion held that Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful
The Palestinian call to halt settlement construction, made alongside the hospital groundbreaking, reflects the standing international-law position on settlements even as bilateral development assistance from India continues on a separate humanitarian track.
India's Humanitarian and Development Assistance Model
India's assistance to Palestine, delivered through hospital construction, medicine consignments and vocational training rather than budgetary aid, reflects the broader pattern of Indian development partnership diplomacy — grant-based infrastructure and capacity-building projects delivered bilaterally, distinct from multilateral humanitarian funding channels such as UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees).
Key Details
- India has historically contributed to UNRWA's core budget in addition to bilateral projects
- The "field hospital" model has been used by India in past crises, including deployments during natural disasters and conflicts abroad, run under the Ministry of External Affairs with support from the Armed Forces Medical Services
- Bilateral MoUs of this kind are typically implemented through India's Development Partnership Administration (DPA) division in the Ministry of External Affairs
The Gaza field hospital proposal and the Jenin hospital MoU both fall under this DPA-administered bilateral assistance model, separate from India's multilateral contributions to Palestinian relief.
- Hospital capacity: 200 beds; location: Jenin, West Bank; expected completion: within two years of the August 2026 groundbreaking
- Catchment area: Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates
- India recognised Palestine: 1988; recognised PLO as sole representative: 1974; established full diplomatic ties with Israel: 1992
- UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016): declared Israeli settlements in territory occupied since 1967 to have "no legal validity"
- Oslo Accords divide the West Bank into Areas A, B and C, with Area C (over 60% of the territory) under full Israeli control