6 apr 2018
Osama Khamis Qdeih, 38
Israeli soldiers killed, Friday, two Palestinians and injured at least 252 others, including may who suffered life-threatening wounds, and moderate injuries, in several parts of the Gaza Strip, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against nonviolent protesters.
The Health Ministry and the Red Crescent in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Majdi Ramadan Shbat, 38, east of Gaza city.
In addition that 252 Palestinians were injured by army fire, including many who suffered life-threatening wounds, and serious injuries, in addition to dozens who suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Osama Khamis Qdeih, 38, from Abasan al-Kabeera town, east of Khan Younis.
Israeli soldiers killed, Friday, two Palestinians and injured at least 252 others, including may who suffered life-threatening wounds, and moderate injuries, in several parts of the Gaza Strip, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against nonviolent protesters.
The Health Ministry and the Red Crescent in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Majdi Ramadan Shbat, 38, east of Gaza city.
In addition that 252 Palestinians were injured by army fire, including many who suffered life-threatening wounds, and serious injuries, in addition to dozens who suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Osama Khamis Qdeih, 38, from Abasan al-Kabeera town, east of Khan Younis.
Majdi Ramadan Shbat, 38
He added that Qdeih died from serious wounds he suffered after the soldiers shot him with live fire, east of Khan Younis.
The Palestinian Red Crescent in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, said its field hospital provided treatment to more than 50 Palestinians, including many who were shot with live rounds in the head and chest, and dozens who were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, in addition to scores who suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.
4:50 PMIsraeli soldiers killed, Friday, two Palestinians and injured at least 252 others, including may who suffered life-threatening wounds, and moderate injuries, in several parts of the Gaza Strip, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against nonviolent protesters.
The Health Ministry and the Red Crescent in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Majdi Ramadan Shbat, 38, east of Gaza city.
In addition that 252 Palestinians were injured by army fire, including many who suffered life-threatening wounds, and serious injuries, in addition to dozens who suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Osama Khamis Qdeih, 38, from Abasan al-Kabeera town, east of Khan Younis.
He added that Qdeih died from serious wounds he suffered after the soldiers shot him with live fire, east of Khan Younis.
The Palestinian Red Crescent in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, said its field hospital provided treatment to more than 50 Palestinians, including many who were shot with live rounds in the head and chest, and dozens who were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, in addition to scores who suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.
It added that one of the wounded Palestinians is a journalist, identified as Yasser Mortaja, who was shot with a life round in his chest, while a female journalist, identified as Islam Za’noun, suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, despite wearing clearly marked press vests; both were injured east of Khan Younis.
The soldiers deliberately fired a barrage of gas bombs, including high velocity, long range bombs, at crowds of protesters, in addition to firing many live rounds at them.
The soldiers also targeted many journalists with live fire and gas bombs, including during live coverage by the al-Mayadeen TV.
Furthermore, the army used planes and drones in firing a barrage of gas bombs at the Palestinians even in areas not close to the border fence.
Dozens of Palestinians suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation and received the needed treatment in make-shift hospitals near the border fence, across the eastern part of the Gaza Strip.
The soldiers also targeted dozens of medics with gas bombs, east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza, wounding many of them.
The Palestinians burnt dozens of tires near the border fence, in order to distrust the vision of the soldiers, especially the sharpshooters, who barricaded themselves behind huge sand hills across the border fence.
The army also used planes to extinguish the burnt tires, in addition to using water hoses and even fans to send the smoke back to the Palestinian side.
His death brings the number of Palestinians who were killed by Israeli army fire since Friday, March 30th, to twenty-two, including the farmer, Wahid Nasrallah Abu Sammour, who was killed on his land early Friday morning before the Land Day protests began.
On Friday morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that a young man, identified as Tha’er Mohammad Rabe’a, 30, died from serious wounds he suffered when Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire, last Friday March 30th, in northern Gaza.
In related news, the soldiers shot three Palestinians, including one who suffered a head injury, in Ramallah, in central West Bank.
The soldiers also injured many Palestinians in Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
He added that Qdeih died from serious wounds he suffered after the soldiers shot him with live fire, east of Khan Younis.
The Palestinian Red Crescent in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, said its field hospital provided treatment to more than 50 Palestinians, including many who were shot with live rounds in the head and chest, and dozens who were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, in addition to scores who suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.
4:50 PMIsraeli soldiers killed, Friday, two Palestinians and injured at least 252 others, including may who suffered life-threatening wounds, and moderate injuries, in several parts of the Gaza Strip, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against nonviolent protesters.
The Health Ministry and the Red Crescent in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Majdi Ramadan Shbat, 38, east of Gaza city.
In addition that 252 Palestinians were injured by army fire, including many who suffered life-threatening wounds, and serious injuries, in addition to dozens who suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Osama Khamis Qdeih, 38, from Abasan al-Kabeera town, east of Khan Younis.
He added that Qdeih died from serious wounds he suffered after the soldiers shot him with live fire, east of Khan Younis.
The Palestinian Red Crescent in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, said its field hospital provided treatment to more than 50 Palestinians, including many who were shot with live rounds in the head and chest, and dozens who were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, in addition to scores who suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.
It added that one of the wounded Palestinians is a journalist, identified as Yasser Mortaja, who was shot with a life round in his chest, while a female journalist, identified as Islam Za’noun, suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, despite wearing clearly marked press vests; both were injured east of Khan Younis.
The soldiers deliberately fired a barrage of gas bombs, including high velocity, long range bombs, at crowds of protesters, in addition to firing many live rounds at them.
The soldiers also targeted many journalists with live fire and gas bombs, including during live coverage by the al-Mayadeen TV.
Furthermore, the army used planes and drones in firing a barrage of gas bombs at the Palestinians even in areas not close to the border fence.
Dozens of Palestinians suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation and received the needed treatment in make-shift hospitals near the border fence, across the eastern part of the Gaza Strip.
The soldiers also targeted dozens of medics with gas bombs, east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza, wounding many of them.
The Palestinians burnt dozens of tires near the border fence, in order to distrust the vision of the soldiers, especially the sharpshooters, who barricaded themselves behind huge sand hills across the border fence.
The army also used planes to extinguish the burnt tires, in addition to using water hoses and even fans to send the smoke back to the Palestinian side.
His death brings the number of Palestinians who were killed by Israeli army fire since Friday, March 30th, to twenty-two, including the farmer, Wahid Nasrallah Abu Sammour, who was killed on his land early Friday morning before the Land Day protests began.
On Friday morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that a young man, identified as Tha’er Mohammad Rabe’a, 30, died from serious wounds he suffered when Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire, last Friday March 30th, in northern Gaza.
In related news, the soldiers shot three Palestinians, including one who suffered a head injury, in Ramallah, in central West Bank.
The soldiers also injured many Palestinians in Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
26 mar 2018
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territory, occupied since 1967, Professor Michael Lynk, has found Israel to be “in profound breach of the right to health with respect to the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” in his latest report released this week.
As the occupying power, Israel is responsible for the welfare of the Palestinian population under its control, and is obligated to ensure that sufficient medical care and public health standards are upheld under international law. The report, released at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, assessed the health and healthcare of Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, against these obligations:
“Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory – with characteristics such as the expanding settlement enterprise, the annexation of territory, the confiscation of private and public lands, the pillaging of resources, the publicly-stated ambitions for permanent control over all or part of the Territory, as well as the Territory’s fragmentation – has had a highly disruptive impact upon health care and the broader social determinants for health for Palestinians in the occupied territory.”
According to the PNN, the report pays particular attention to the situation in Gaza, where an estimated 40% of essential medicines are out of stock, and electricity shortages have forced the closure of medical services such as operating theaters, emergency departments, diagnostic services, general medical wards, instrument sterilization and the treatment of chronic illnesses. Professor Lynk reiterates UN warnings that the healthcare system is “on the edge of collapse,” stating that “this dilapidated and failing Gaza health care sector is overwhelmingly a human-made crisis.”
He reflects that “one consequence of this acute crisis has been the compelling need to refer larger numbers of patients with serious or chronic health conditions to medical facilities outside of Gaza for treatment that they should be able to, but cannot, receive in the territory.”
Nevertheless, significant barriers exist to free the movement of patients for care, with increasing delays or denials in exit permits for those needing to exit Gaza for treatment. As previously highlighted in Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)’s joint statement with Human Rights Watch, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Professor Lynk reports that last year only 54% of all permits to exit Gaza were approved by Israel in time for patients to get to care. This is the lowest rate of permit approvals ever recorded. 54 patients are known to have died after delays or denials to these permits in 2017.
The report also discusses the sad death of breast cancer patient Abeer Abu Jayyab. Abeer led a peer support group for women with breast cancer at a MAP-supported women’s health clinic in Bureij refugee camp, in Gaza. She was described by staff as “a flame of vitality, energy and positivity” and “one of the loveliest and most resilient women” at the center.
Abeer required a treatment course of Herceptin. As this drug was unavailable in Gaza, she had to apply for a health travel permit for treatment in East Jerusalem. Her travel applications were repeatedly denied on security grounds by the Israeli authorities, and she missed her scheduled appointments. Abeer died in Gaza on 8 June, 2017, after her cancer metastasized.
Professor Lynk states that “Abeer’s case exemplified a distressing trend: 46 of the 54 deaths in 2017 were cancer patients who were unable to receive adequate health treatment in Gaza.”
Professor Lynk concludes that “Israel’s byzantine and opaque exit permit system imposed upon patients who require treatment outside of Gaza is but one element which demonstrates that Israel’s obligations as occupying power to the residents of Gaza remain far from fulfilled”.
The report raises concern about attacks against Palestinian medical facilities and personnel. “The principal Palestinian hospital in East Jerusalem [was] raided repeatedly by heavily-armed Israeli soldiers and police who fire[d] stun grenades and sponge rounds, resulting in mayhem and fear among patients and staff,” notes the Special Rapporteur. He calls on Israel to “ensure the respect and protection of medical personnel and medical facilities as required by International Humanitarian Law.”
Among the other right to health themes in the report are the worryingly high rates of child malnutrition in parts of the oPt, and the challenges of living with a disability under occupation, blockade and closure. Referring to the experience of people with a physical disability in Gaza, Lynk notes that “with electricity operating only a few hours per day, in some cases, simply leaving one’s home can be nearly impossible.” The Special Rapporteur also draws attention to the impact of occupation and associated violence, uncertainty, and regular human rights violations on the mental health of Palestinians. He describes a mental health system that is increasingly ill-equipped to provide greatly needed support and resources.
The Special Rapporteur concludes by stating that, were Israel meeting its duty to “ensure that the right to health – the enjoyment by the protected population of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health – is fulfilled during the temporary period of occupation, consistent with its reasonable security needs,” it would “actively work to restore and enhance the health care system for the people under its effective control,” adding that:
“It would not obstruct the access by patients and medical staff to hospitals and health clinics, either physically or bureaucratically. It would strive to create conditions of stability and security, so that the social determinants of health can advance, rather than retard, the flourishing of physical and mental well being. It would promote equality of access to health care for all, with particular attention paid to the vulnerable and marginalized. The occupying power would actively work with the health institutions of the protected population to chart a progressive health care strategy for the future that also respected the coming restoration of full sovereignty. It would not discriminate. It would not torture or mistreat prisoners and detainees. It would not impose collective punishments of any sort. As a priority, it would provide all the necessary health services and supplies that the medical institutions of the protected population are unable to deliver themselves.
“Ultimately, the occupying power would understand that leaving behind a thriving health care system, aligned with robust social determinants, at the end of the occupation provides the best opportunity for peace and prosperity to endure.“
Measured against these obligations, however, he concludes that Israel’s “avaricious occupation – measured by the expanding settlement enterprise, the annexation of territory, the confiscation of private and public lands, the pillaging of resources, the publicly-stated ambitions for permanent control over all or part of the Territory, and the fragmentation of the lands left for the Palestinians – has had a highly disruptive impact upon health care and the broader social determinants for health for the Palestinians.”
Professor Lynk concludes his report by recommending that Israel “ensure regular and reliable access, at all times, for all Palestinian patients who require specialized health care outside of their jurisdictions, consistent with genuine Israeli security concerns” and that it “comply fully with its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law with respect to fulfilling the health needs of the protected population.”
To read Professor Lynk’s report in full, click here.
As the occupying power, Israel is responsible for the welfare of the Palestinian population under its control, and is obligated to ensure that sufficient medical care and public health standards are upheld under international law. The report, released at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, assessed the health and healthcare of Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, against these obligations:
“Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory – with characteristics such as the expanding settlement enterprise, the annexation of territory, the confiscation of private and public lands, the pillaging of resources, the publicly-stated ambitions for permanent control over all or part of the Territory, as well as the Territory’s fragmentation – has had a highly disruptive impact upon health care and the broader social determinants for health for Palestinians in the occupied territory.”
According to the PNN, the report pays particular attention to the situation in Gaza, where an estimated 40% of essential medicines are out of stock, and electricity shortages have forced the closure of medical services such as operating theaters, emergency departments, diagnostic services, general medical wards, instrument sterilization and the treatment of chronic illnesses. Professor Lynk reiterates UN warnings that the healthcare system is “on the edge of collapse,” stating that “this dilapidated and failing Gaza health care sector is overwhelmingly a human-made crisis.”
He reflects that “one consequence of this acute crisis has been the compelling need to refer larger numbers of patients with serious or chronic health conditions to medical facilities outside of Gaza for treatment that they should be able to, but cannot, receive in the territory.”
Nevertheless, significant barriers exist to free the movement of patients for care, with increasing delays or denials in exit permits for those needing to exit Gaza for treatment. As previously highlighted in Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)’s joint statement with Human Rights Watch, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Professor Lynk reports that last year only 54% of all permits to exit Gaza were approved by Israel in time for patients to get to care. This is the lowest rate of permit approvals ever recorded. 54 patients are known to have died after delays or denials to these permits in 2017.
The report also discusses the sad death of breast cancer patient Abeer Abu Jayyab. Abeer led a peer support group for women with breast cancer at a MAP-supported women’s health clinic in Bureij refugee camp, in Gaza. She was described by staff as “a flame of vitality, energy and positivity” and “one of the loveliest and most resilient women” at the center.
Abeer required a treatment course of Herceptin. As this drug was unavailable in Gaza, she had to apply for a health travel permit for treatment in East Jerusalem. Her travel applications were repeatedly denied on security grounds by the Israeli authorities, and she missed her scheduled appointments. Abeer died in Gaza on 8 June, 2017, after her cancer metastasized.
Professor Lynk states that “Abeer’s case exemplified a distressing trend: 46 of the 54 deaths in 2017 were cancer patients who were unable to receive adequate health treatment in Gaza.”
Professor Lynk concludes that “Israel’s byzantine and opaque exit permit system imposed upon patients who require treatment outside of Gaza is but one element which demonstrates that Israel’s obligations as occupying power to the residents of Gaza remain far from fulfilled”.
The report raises concern about attacks against Palestinian medical facilities and personnel. “The principal Palestinian hospital in East Jerusalem [was] raided repeatedly by heavily-armed Israeli soldiers and police who fire[d] stun grenades and sponge rounds, resulting in mayhem and fear among patients and staff,” notes the Special Rapporteur. He calls on Israel to “ensure the respect and protection of medical personnel and medical facilities as required by International Humanitarian Law.”
Among the other right to health themes in the report are the worryingly high rates of child malnutrition in parts of the oPt, and the challenges of living with a disability under occupation, blockade and closure. Referring to the experience of people with a physical disability in Gaza, Lynk notes that “with electricity operating only a few hours per day, in some cases, simply leaving one’s home can be nearly impossible.” The Special Rapporteur also draws attention to the impact of occupation and associated violence, uncertainty, and regular human rights violations on the mental health of Palestinians. He describes a mental health system that is increasingly ill-equipped to provide greatly needed support and resources.
The Special Rapporteur concludes by stating that, were Israel meeting its duty to “ensure that the right to health – the enjoyment by the protected population of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health – is fulfilled during the temporary period of occupation, consistent with its reasonable security needs,” it would “actively work to restore and enhance the health care system for the people under its effective control,” adding that:
“It would not obstruct the access by patients and medical staff to hospitals and health clinics, either physically or bureaucratically. It would strive to create conditions of stability and security, so that the social determinants of health can advance, rather than retard, the flourishing of physical and mental well being. It would promote equality of access to health care for all, with particular attention paid to the vulnerable and marginalized. The occupying power would actively work with the health institutions of the protected population to chart a progressive health care strategy for the future that also respected the coming restoration of full sovereignty. It would not discriminate. It would not torture or mistreat prisoners and detainees. It would not impose collective punishments of any sort. As a priority, it would provide all the necessary health services and supplies that the medical institutions of the protected population are unable to deliver themselves.
“Ultimately, the occupying power would understand that leaving behind a thriving health care system, aligned with robust social determinants, at the end of the occupation provides the best opportunity for peace and prosperity to endure.“
Measured against these obligations, however, he concludes that Israel’s “avaricious occupation – measured by the expanding settlement enterprise, the annexation of territory, the confiscation of private and public lands, the pillaging of resources, the publicly-stated ambitions for permanent control over all or part of the Territory, and the fragmentation of the lands left for the Palestinians – has had a highly disruptive impact upon health care and the broader social determinants for health for the Palestinians.”
Professor Lynk concludes his report by recommending that Israel “ensure regular and reliable access, at all times, for all Palestinian patients who require specialized health care outside of their jurisdictions, consistent with genuine Israeli security concerns” and that it “comply fully with its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law with respect to fulfilling the health needs of the protected population.”
To read Professor Lynk’s report in full, click here.