Escalating health emergency in Gaza
Recent information
directly related to health in Gaza
January 13th
2009
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza as reported by
the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on January 12th
evening, 910 Palestinians have been killed (292 children, 75 women) and 4,250
have been injured (1,497 children, 626 women) during the military operations of
the last 18 days. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs 4
Israelis have been killed and 90 injured (including light injury) in the same
time period.
An ambulance from AlAwda hospital was shelled on the morning
of January 4th seriously injuring 4 medical staff. According to
Physicians for Human Rights Israel ambulances were shot at by the Israeli
military on January 9th and 10th with two people injured
in the second incident. On January 9th a clinic funded by CARITAS
was destroyed along with all its equipment; 20 nearby houses were also damaged.
On Jan 10th a clinic funded by Christian Aid was also demolished by
an air strike.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Jan 12th: ‘An unknown number of dead,
injured and trapped people remain in houses which have been shelled and in
areas where hostilities are ongoing. Due to attacks on ambulances, medical
staff are fearful of reaching these places. The evaluation of wounded and safe
passage of ambulances and health workers are fundamental tenants of
international humanitarian law, and should be facilitated at all times’.
Gaza has 700-1000 chronic
medical patients who have been receiving ongoing treatment in Israel and East Jerusalem
each month. Very few chronically ill have been evacuated meaning these people
are effectively without treatment.
40% of the governorates of Gaza,
North Gaza, and the Middle Area have mains
power for only 8-12 hours a day. Back up generators are not designed to
function more than 8 hours a day and their failure could be catastrophic for intensive
and neonatal care patients.
There are unconfirmed reports that 200,000 cubic metres of
wastewater has leaked from the Gaza City Wastewater Treatment Plant due to
damage to the embankment of one of the treatment ponds sustained on January 10th.
Gaza
has a population of 1.5 million people in an area 25 miles long and 3-7 miles
wide.
Others you may want to quote
Jan 4th Louis Michel European Commissioner for
Development and Humanitarian Aid said “Blocking access to people who are
suffering and dying is also a breach of humanitarian law. I call on the Israeli
authorities to respect their international obligations and ensure a
‘humanitarian space’ for the delivery of vital relief.”
The WHO has warned that “The current escalation of the
violence only compounds the health situation and unnecessarily exacerbates the
fragile status of the civilians caught up in this conflict” and warns of “a
surge in preventable deaths from complications due to trauma.”
The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Children and Armed Conflict Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy has said “Children are
victims of the bombings and traumatized by the escalation of violence” and “The
use of disproportionate force is not the answer”. Over half the population in Gaza are children –
UNICEF’s statement points out that
children are particularly vulnerable in situations of armed conflict.
Possible recipients:
- the press both national and local
- the Israeli embassy
Ambassador
Ron Prosor
2 Palace
Green
London
W8 4QB
Tel: 020 7957 9500
Fax: 020 7957 9555
- your MP contacts at http://www.theyworkforyou.com/
If you have time please let us know what you do. Thank you.
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