A nationwide cross-sectional study of antimicrobial resistance in Palestinian hospitals: insights from 10,000 clinical isolates

A nationwide study of over 10,000 bacterial isolates from 13 Palestinian hospitals revealed alarmingly high rates of antimicrobial resistance, with 36.7% of all isolates classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR). The highest resistance was seen in Acinetobacter baumannii (76%), ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (69%), and Escherichia coli (58%), while Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed lower but still concerning levels. Resistance rates varied widely between hospitals (24–64%), were higher in older patients, and more common in urine and wound samples. The study highlights the serious AMR burden in Palestine, driven by factors such as unregulated antibiotic use, limited diagnostic capacity, and inconsistent infection control practices. The authors call for urgent implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programmes, stricter antibiotic regulations, and improved laboratory standardisation to strengthen national surveillance and protect public health.