31 jan 2018
Head of World Health Organization (WHO) in the Palestinian territories, Gerald Rockenschaub, warned of the continuation of the fuel shortage crisis in Gaza hospitals and health facilities, alerting that they will be running out of fuel by the end of February or at maximum during the month of March.
In a press statement following a meeting with Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Gaza on Wednesday, Rockenschaub said that the conditions in Gaza hospitals are too difficult. He pointed out that the measures taken by the Ministry are tough but necessary in order to save the lives of people until the crisis is resolved.
He said that his organization is exerting intensive efforts for coming up with a solution to the crisis.
In a press statement following a meeting with Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Gaza on Wednesday, Rockenschaub said that the conditions in Gaza hospitals are too difficult. He pointed out that the measures taken by the Ministry are tough but necessary in order to save the lives of people until the crisis is resolved.
He said that his organization is exerting intensive efforts for coming up with a solution to the crisis.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry said Wednesday that power generators in seven vital health centers across the Gaza enclave have gone out of operation as a result of fuel dearth.
The ministry’s spokesman Ashraf al-Qidrah said the list of centers affected by the crisis includes the Sourani Center, the Medical Foundation, Gaza’s Health Department, Absan al-Kabira Center, Atatra Centra, and a center for people with disabilities.
Al-Qidrah said that the ministry’s crisis management committee warned that the health situation in the Gaza Strip has gone from bad to worse and that the enclave is going through an alarming phase due to the fuel crisis.
The committee urged donor parties to immediately step in and work out the fuel crisis before it is too late. It also called on the Electricity Distribution Company to find urgent solutions and make every possible effort to provide fuel supplies to Gaza’s hospitals around the clock.
Al-Qidrah added that a number of health facilities have suspended their services at Beit Hanoun Hospital and al-Durra Children's Hospital for the third day running and that all the patients were made to endure urgent inter-hospital transfers as a result of the crisis.
“The power generator at Gaza’s psychiatric hospital is also expected to run out of fuel in the next few hours,” the official further warned.
The ministry’s spokesman Ashraf al-Qidrah said the list of centers affected by the crisis includes the Sourani Center, the Medical Foundation, Gaza’s Health Department, Absan al-Kabira Center, Atatra Centra, and a center for people with disabilities.
Al-Qidrah said that the ministry’s crisis management committee warned that the health situation in the Gaza Strip has gone from bad to worse and that the enclave is going through an alarming phase due to the fuel crisis.
The committee urged donor parties to immediately step in and work out the fuel crisis before it is too late. It also called on the Electricity Distribution Company to find urgent solutions and make every possible effort to provide fuel supplies to Gaza’s hospitals around the clock.
Al-Qidrah added that a number of health facilities have suspended their services at Beit Hanoun Hospital and al-Durra Children's Hospital for the third day running and that all the patients were made to endure urgent inter-hospital transfers as a result of the crisis.
“The power generator at Gaza’s psychiatric hospital is also expected to run out of fuel in the next few hours,” the official further warned.
28 jan 2018
Gaza's Ministry of Health on Sunday warned that some hospitals might be shut down within hours due to the acute fuel shortage plaguing the besieged area.
Spokesman for the Ministry, Ashraf al-Qedra, said that a few hours from now health services will be halted in both Beit Hanoun hospital and al-Durra children's hospital.
Al-Qedra announced on 23rd January that the Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Health, Jawad Awwad, had decided to allocate one million shekels to supply Gaza's health facilities with fuel. However, al-Qedra added, the funds would cover the fuel consumed by these facilities in ten days only.
For his part, Hamas's spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the PA government's disregard for the Gaza hospitals' needs is a thinly veiled attempt to push Gaza toward collapse.
Barhoum, in a statement on his Facebook page, held the PA government responsible for the consequences of this crisis.
Ministry of Health said that it is facing a stifling power crisis that would adversely affect the provision of health services in the Gaza Strip.
It added that it has decided to operate smaller generators in its facilities and take a series of austerity measures to optimize the use of the available amount of fuel.
The Ministry explained that Gaza's health facilities need 450,000 liters of diesel per month when power outages last 8-12 hours a day. In the case of 20-hour outages, 950,000 liters are needed.
The cost of the fuel needed to cover a single hour of power outage is nearly $2,000, the Ministry noted.
Spokesman for the Ministry, Ashraf al-Qedra, said that a few hours from now health services will be halted in both Beit Hanoun hospital and al-Durra children's hospital.
Al-Qedra announced on 23rd January that the Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Health, Jawad Awwad, had decided to allocate one million shekels to supply Gaza's health facilities with fuel. However, al-Qedra added, the funds would cover the fuel consumed by these facilities in ten days only.
For his part, Hamas's spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the PA government's disregard for the Gaza hospitals' needs is a thinly veiled attempt to push Gaza toward collapse.
Barhoum, in a statement on his Facebook page, held the PA government responsible for the consequences of this crisis.
Ministry of Health said that it is facing a stifling power crisis that would adversely affect the provision of health services in the Gaza Strip.
It added that it has decided to operate smaller generators in its facilities and take a series of austerity measures to optimize the use of the available amount of fuel.
The Ministry explained that Gaza's health facilities need 450,000 liters of diesel per month when power outages last 8-12 hours a day. In the case of 20-hour outages, 950,000 liters are needed.
The cost of the fuel needed to cover a single hour of power outage is nearly $2,000, the Ministry noted.
20 jan 2018
A Palestinian man on Saturday evening was wounded and others choked on tear gas during clashes with Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) that broke out in the towns of Kafr Qaddum in Qalqilya and Jaba in Jenin.
The coordinator of popular resistance in Kafr Qaddum, Murad Eshtaiwi, said that IOF quelled a peaceful march that kicked off in the town in protest at the US President Donald Trump’s latest decisions on Jerusalem.
As a result, Naser Hawash, who is a paramedic of health committees, was slightly injured. He received treatment in the field.
As for Jaba, local sources told WAFA news agency that IOF soldiers raided the town and erected two military barriers at its entrance. Clashes between IOF and Palestinian youths then erupted.
IOF troops showered the protesters with tear gas canisters and rubber bullets leading to suffocation among Palestinians.
The coordinator of popular resistance in Kafr Qaddum, Murad Eshtaiwi, said that IOF quelled a peaceful march that kicked off in the town in protest at the US President Donald Trump’s latest decisions on Jerusalem.
As a result, Naser Hawash, who is a paramedic of health committees, was slightly injured. He received treatment in the field.
As for Jaba, local sources told WAFA news agency that IOF soldiers raided the town and erected two military barriers at its entrance. Clashes between IOF and Palestinian youths then erupted.
IOF troops showered the protesters with tear gas canisters and rubber bullets leading to suffocation among Palestinians.
17 jan 2018
The Ministry of Health in Gaza commenced on Monday morning, implementing a series of tough austerity measures, to face the shortage of fuel and electricity within its facilities.
Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra stated that the ministry has introduced a series of stern measures to confront the shortage of fuel and electricity, and will spare no effort to prolong its health services provided to Gazans.
Al-Qedra asserted that his ministry communicates with all bodies and organizations to contain the stifling crisis hitting its facilities.
Gaza’s hospitals need monthly an amount of some 630 liters of fuel, in case the electricity outage reaches 12 hours per a day.
The Gaza Ministry of Health appealed to all relevant bodies, organizations and the Palestinian government of National Consensus to urgently intervene, to save the health status inside the Gaza’s hospitals by supplying them the needed amount of fuel.
Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra stated that the ministry has introduced a series of stern measures to confront the shortage of fuel and electricity, and will spare no effort to prolong its health services provided to Gazans.
Al-Qedra asserted that his ministry communicates with all bodies and organizations to contain the stifling crisis hitting its facilities.
Gaza’s hospitals need monthly an amount of some 630 liters of fuel, in case the electricity outage reaches 12 hours per a day.
The Gaza Ministry of Health appealed to all relevant bodies, organizations and the Palestinian government of National Consensus to urgently intervene, to save the health status inside the Gaza’s hospitals by supplying them the needed amount of fuel.
Hadia Mohammad Abu Hilal 5 days
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported Tuesday that a five-day old baby died in the intensive care unit of the Al-Hilal Emirati Hospital in Gaza.
The infant, Hadia Mohammad Abu Hilal, died because of the lack of special medication required for the respiratory machine to function properly.
Her father, who is a pediatric surgeon at the European Hospital in Gaza, said that the medication needed was Calfactant, which is similar to a natural fluid in the lungs, and helps maintain effective breathing in premature infants whose lungs aren’t fully developed.
The death of the newborn was entirely preventable, according to medical experts, if the hospital’s neo-natal intensive care unit had been properly equipped with the basic medicine for treating premature infants.
This medicine, along with hundreds of others, has been prevented from entering Gaza by Israeli and Egyptian authorities for the past eleven years of siege.
Hundreds of Palestinian patients have died when they were prevented from leaving Gaza for treatment. Many more have died in hospitals in Gaza because of the lack of necessary medicine and equipment. Doctors and surgeons in Gaza complain of ancient equipment that they are unable to replace because of the Israeli and Egyptian siege, and the impossibility of finding spare parts for equipment when it gets broken.
Despite Israeli government assurances that the siege allows for entry of certain medicines, and allows patients to leave, eyewitnesses on the ground contradict the Israeli claims. They say that patients must apply for difficult-to-obtain Israeli permits, wait for hours at remote military bases in the middle of the desert (which is impossible for many patients because of their conditions), and then wait months to cross the Gaza-Egypt border for treatment.
In June of 2017, when 3 babies died in one week, the Hamas party in the Gaza Strip called on the international community to take immediate action to demand that Israel and Egypt end their siege on Gaza, which violates international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. But no action was taken.
According to the January 2018 report on the Gaza siege by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “The exit of Palestinians from Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing declined by almost 50 per cent in 2017 compared with 2016: on average, there were about 7,000 exits per month (as of 30 November), down from 13,200 exits per month in 2016. Prior to the start of the second Intifada in 2000, there were over half a million exits per month from Gaza, primarily for work in Israel.”
The report also stated, “By the end of November 2017, the approval rate for permit applications by Palestinian patients to travel via Erez was 54 per cent, down from 62 per cent in 2016. This is the lowest approval rate since 2006 when the World Health Organization (WHO) began monitoring patient access from Gaza. The decline is occurring alongside a gradual increase in the absolute number of referrals and related permit applications to West Bank hospitals in the wake of stricter constraints via the Rafah crossing.
“Most unsuccessful applications in 2017 were delayed, meaning that they were not processed in time rather than rejected on security grounds, i.e. no response was received by the date of the hospital appointment, requiring patients to re-schedule the missed appointment and submit another permit application. In situations such as cancer treatment, delays can have life-threatening implications for patient health.”
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported Tuesday that a five-day old baby died in the intensive care unit of the Al-Hilal Emirati Hospital in Gaza.
The infant, Hadia Mohammad Abu Hilal, died because of the lack of special medication required for the respiratory machine to function properly.
Her father, who is a pediatric surgeon at the European Hospital in Gaza, said that the medication needed was Calfactant, which is similar to a natural fluid in the lungs, and helps maintain effective breathing in premature infants whose lungs aren’t fully developed.
The death of the newborn was entirely preventable, according to medical experts, if the hospital’s neo-natal intensive care unit had been properly equipped with the basic medicine for treating premature infants.
This medicine, along with hundreds of others, has been prevented from entering Gaza by Israeli and Egyptian authorities for the past eleven years of siege.
Hundreds of Palestinian patients have died when they were prevented from leaving Gaza for treatment. Many more have died in hospitals in Gaza because of the lack of necessary medicine and equipment. Doctors and surgeons in Gaza complain of ancient equipment that they are unable to replace because of the Israeli and Egyptian siege, and the impossibility of finding spare parts for equipment when it gets broken.
Despite Israeli government assurances that the siege allows for entry of certain medicines, and allows patients to leave, eyewitnesses on the ground contradict the Israeli claims. They say that patients must apply for difficult-to-obtain Israeli permits, wait for hours at remote military bases in the middle of the desert (which is impossible for many patients because of their conditions), and then wait months to cross the Gaza-Egypt border for treatment.
In June of 2017, when 3 babies died in one week, the Hamas party in the Gaza Strip called on the international community to take immediate action to demand that Israel and Egypt end their siege on Gaza, which violates international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. But no action was taken.
According to the January 2018 report on the Gaza siege by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “The exit of Palestinians from Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing declined by almost 50 per cent in 2017 compared with 2016: on average, there were about 7,000 exits per month (as of 30 November), down from 13,200 exits per month in 2016. Prior to the start of the second Intifada in 2000, there were over half a million exits per month from Gaza, primarily for work in Israel.”
The report also stated, “By the end of November 2017, the approval rate for permit applications by Palestinian patients to travel via Erez was 54 per cent, down from 62 per cent in 2016. This is the lowest approval rate since 2006 when the World Health Organization (WHO) began monitoring patient access from Gaza. The decline is occurring alongside a gradual increase in the absolute number of referrals and related permit applications to West Bank hospitals in the wake of stricter constraints via the Rafah crossing.
“Most unsuccessful applications in 2017 were delayed, meaning that they were not processed in time rather than rejected on security grounds, i.e. no response was received by the date of the hospital appointment, requiring patients to re-schedule the missed appointment and submit another permit application. In situations such as cancer treatment, delays can have life-threatening implications for patient health.”
15 jan 2018
Ahmad Salim 24
Palestinian medical sources said that Ahmad Abdul-Jaber Salim, 28, from Jayyous town, was shot with a live round in his head, and died from his serious wounds at Darwish Nazzal hospital, in Qalqilia, in northern West Bank.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli soldiers fired many live rounds at Palestinian protesters, wounding Ahmad in the head, and then fired many gas bombs at Palestinian ambulances and medics.
It is worth mentioning that Ahmad is a former political prisoner, who was held by Israel for three years before he was released in 2016, and is a student of the Al-Quds Open University in Qalqilia.
He was the secretary of the “Students Unity Block,” of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
Following his death, the soldiers completely closed the main road, and installed many roadblocks in the area.
Many youngsters also hurled stones at Israeli army vehicles and settlers’ cars, while hundreds of Palestinians marched to the hospital protesting his death.
Updated From:
Youth Dies of Wounds Sustained during Qalqilia Clashes
Jan 15, 2018 @ 20:28
The Ministry of Health, on Monday, announced the death of a Palestinian youth who was critically injured in clashes, with Israeli soldiers, that erupted in the town of Jayyous, east of Qalqilia.
Security sources told WAFA that Israeli soldiers fired live rounds towards Palestinians, which resulted in the injury of Ahmad Salim, 24, in the head.
Salim was transferred to Darwish Nazzal hospital and was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Palestinian youth killed by Israeli gunfire in Qalqilya
A 24-year-old Palestinian man, Ahmad Salim, was killed on Monday evening by Israeli gunfire in clashes that erupted between Palestinians and Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in Qalqilya. Meanwhile, three others were arrested by Israeli policemen in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the death of Salim in Jayyous town to the east of Qalqilya. He was shot in the head and moved to hospital in a very critical health condition before he died of his wounds.
Besides, Israeli policemen escorted by soldiers on Monday evening raided Shufat refugee camp in Occupied Jerusalem and showered Palestinian youths with stun grenades and tear gas canisters resulting in violent clashes. A Palestinian minor was arrested as well.
Earlier in the afternoon, two other youths were rounded up in al-Wad Street in Occupied Jerusalem. They were transferred to a detention center in the holy city.
Palestinian medical sources said that Ahmad Abdul-Jaber Salim, 28, from Jayyous town, was shot with a live round in his head, and died from his serious wounds at Darwish Nazzal hospital, in Qalqilia, in northern West Bank.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli soldiers fired many live rounds at Palestinian protesters, wounding Ahmad in the head, and then fired many gas bombs at Palestinian ambulances and medics.
It is worth mentioning that Ahmad is a former political prisoner, who was held by Israel for three years before he was released in 2016, and is a student of the Al-Quds Open University in Qalqilia.
He was the secretary of the “Students Unity Block,” of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
Following his death, the soldiers completely closed the main road, and installed many roadblocks in the area.
Many youngsters also hurled stones at Israeli army vehicles and settlers’ cars, while hundreds of Palestinians marched to the hospital protesting his death.
Updated From:
Youth Dies of Wounds Sustained during Qalqilia Clashes
Jan 15, 2018 @ 20:28
The Ministry of Health, on Monday, announced the death of a Palestinian youth who was critically injured in clashes, with Israeli soldiers, that erupted in the town of Jayyous, east of Qalqilia.
Security sources told WAFA that Israeli soldiers fired live rounds towards Palestinians, which resulted in the injury of Ahmad Salim, 24, in the head.
Salim was transferred to Darwish Nazzal hospital and was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Palestinian youth killed by Israeli gunfire in Qalqilya
A 24-year-old Palestinian man, Ahmad Salim, was killed on Monday evening by Israeli gunfire in clashes that erupted between Palestinians and Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in Qalqilya. Meanwhile, three others were arrested by Israeli policemen in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the death of Salim in Jayyous town to the east of Qalqilya. He was shot in the head and moved to hospital in a very critical health condition before he died of his wounds.
Besides, Israeli policemen escorted by soldiers on Monday evening raided Shufat refugee camp in Occupied Jerusalem and showered Palestinian youths with stun grenades and tear gas canisters resulting in violent clashes. A Palestinian minor was arrested as well.
Earlier in the afternoon, two other youths were rounded up in al-Wad Street in Occupied Jerusalem. They were transferred to a detention center in the holy city.
14 jan 2018
The Palestinian healthcare system in the besieged Gaza Strip is facing an alarming crisis due to the shortage of fuel supplies for generators that provide power for hospitals, a spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has warned.
Health Ministry spokesman, Ashraf al-Qidrah, said the ministry has enacted a “Plan B” which involves the redistribution of resources to more critically needed health assets.
Al-Qidrah also warned of the possibility of delayed or canceled surgeries and inter-hospital transfers if no urgent action is taken on the part of the concerned authorities.
He said patients with severe illnesses and those diagnosed with renal failure are at risk of losing their lives as a result of the crisis.
He added that the health system’s fuel reserves will completely run out by mid February and if a solution is not found, Gaza’s hospitals will be forced to close essential services.
Over recent years, increasing shortages of fuel have created a real crisis for Gaza’s hospitals, often leading to the closure of essential health services, thus, leaving thousands of patients without access to life-saving health care.
Health Ministry spokesman, Ashraf al-Qidrah, said the ministry has enacted a “Plan B” which involves the redistribution of resources to more critically needed health assets.
Al-Qidrah also warned of the possibility of delayed or canceled surgeries and inter-hospital transfers if no urgent action is taken on the part of the concerned authorities.
He said patients with severe illnesses and those diagnosed with renal failure are at risk of losing their lives as a result of the crisis.
He added that the health system’s fuel reserves will completely run out by mid February and if a solution is not found, Gaza’s hospitals will be forced to close essential services.
Over recent years, increasing shortages of fuel have created a real crisis for Gaza’s hospitals, often leading to the closure of essential health services, thus, leaving thousands of patients without access to life-saving health care.
13 jan 2018
Israeli soldiers attacked, on Saturday evening, many Palestinian nonviolent protesters in Salahuddin Street, in occupied Jerusalem, in injured several Palestinians, including a medic, while marching against ongoing Israeli occupation, and the U.S. President’s illegal recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israeli and his decision to move the U.S consulate to the city.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRC) said that it provided treatment to four Palestinians, including a medic who was shot with a concussion grenade while providing treatment to a wounded Palestinian. Video
One of the wounded Palestinians is Yasser Darwish, the secretary of Fateh movement in Jerusalem’s al-Isawiya town, who was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet, before the soldiers abducted him.
The PRC added that the soldiers also injured a Palestinian journalist, after the army assaulted many reporters. Video
It is worth mentioning that today’s protest is part of weekly activities in Salahuddin Street, against the illegal U.S. recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israel, and its decision to move the consulate to the city.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRC) said that it provided treatment to four Palestinians, including a medic who was shot with a concussion grenade while providing treatment to a wounded Palestinian. Video
One of the wounded Palestinians is Yasser Darwish, the secretary of Fateh movement in Jerusalem’s al-Isawiya town, who was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet, before the soldiers abducted him.
The PRC added that the soldiers also injured a Palestinian journalist, after the army assaulted many reporters. Video
It is worth mentioning that today’s protest is part of weekly activities in Salahuddin Street, against the illegal U.S. recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israel, and its decision to move the consulate to the city.
10 jan 2018
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A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that almost half of the Palestinian patients in the Gaza Strip, who need treatment outside of the besieged Gaza Strip and applied for exit permits from Israel, have their exit permit applications delayed, and lost their hospital appointment as a result.
In its report on Health Access for Referral Patients from the Gaza Strip covering the month of November, WHO said that out of 2,047 patient applications for permits to exit Gaza through the Israeli Erez checkpoint for health care, 54% of applications were approved; 2% were denied; and 44% were delayed, receiving no definitive response from Israeli authorities by the date of hospital appointment. Losing the appointment date means the patients have to re-schedule |
their hospital appointment before they can re-apply for an exit permit, a process that can take months and therefore cause long delays for possibly badly needed treatment not available in Gaza.
Most of the referrals are for hospitals in East Jerusalem and Israel, with some to the West Bank and Jordan and many are for cancer patients.
In addition, out of 2,351 permit applications for patient companions to Israeli authorities in November. 43% were approved, 2% were denied and 55% were delayed, still pending by the date of the patient’s hospital appointment.
The report said 58 patients (37 males; 21 females) were requested for interrogation by Israeli General Security Services at Erez during November. Only seven were approved permits to travel for health care.
Palestinians in Gaza were also advised that permit applications will take 26 working days to process, more than twofold increase from 10 working days prior to May 2017, said the report.
Most of the referrals are for hospitals in East Jerusalem and Israel, with some to the West Bank and Jordan and many are for cancer patients.
In addition, out of 2,351 permit applications for patient companions to Israeli authorities in November. 43% were approved, 2% were denied and 55% were delayed, still pending by the date of the patient’s hospital appointment.
The report said 58 patients (37 males; 21 females) were requested for interrogation by Israeli General Security Services at Erez during November. Only seven were approved permits to travel for health care.
Palestinians in Gaza were also advised that permit applications will take 26 working days to process, more than twofold increase from 10 working days prior to May 2017, said the report.
5 jan 2018
Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Thursday expressed concern over the repeated accusations leveled at it by Israel, saying that they fall in line with attempts to justify the Israeli attacks committed regularly against its crews.
The PRCS affirmed in a statement that the accusations made by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories on his Facebook page are groundless and false.
It added that the PRCS does not have any employee or volunteer who bears the name mentioned in that Facebook post, pointing out that transferring patients from the Gaza Strip to Beit Hanoun checkpoint does not fall under the remit of the PRCS ambulances operating in Gaza.
The Palestinian Society said that such repeated allegations by the Israeli occupation are a cause for concern and that they are seen as a deliberate targeting of the Society's humanitarian work.
The statement noted that the PRCS is a national humanitarian society and a member of the International Movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; therefore, it abides by the Movement's humanitarian principles, especially neutrality and impartiality.
Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Yoav Mordechai, claimed in a Facebook post that Marwan Abu Raida, a PRCS ambulance driver, exploits his job and transfers money, used to fund "terrorist attacks", with the Gazan patients passing through Beit Hanoun checkpoint to receive treatment in the West Bank hospitals.
The Israeli authorities previously posted an edited video to support a claim that the PRCS transferred demonstrators to clash with the Israeli occupation forces in West Bank protests. The PRCS later refuted the Israeli narrative by releasing the full video which showed an injured girl receiving medical care inside an ambulance.
For his part, Abu Raida denied the Israeli accusation on his Facebook page and described it as a "shameless" attempt to give new excuses to block the travel of Gazan patients to the West Bank and Jerusalem for treatment.
The PRCS affirmed in a statement that the accusations made by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories on his Facebook page are groundless and false.
It added that the PRCS does not have any employee or volunteer who bears the name mentioned in that Facebook post, pointing out that transferring patients from the Gaza Strip to Beit Hanoun checkpoint does not fall under the remit of the PRCS ambulances operating in Gaza.
The Palestinian Society said that such repeated allegations by the Israeli occupation are a cause for concern and that they are seen as a deliberate targeting of the Society's humanitarian work.
The statement noted that the PRCS is a national humanitarian society and a member of the International Movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; therefore, it abides by the Movement's humanitarian principles, especially neutrality and impartiality.
Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Yoav Mordechai, claimed in a Facebook post that Marwan Abu Raida, a PRCS ambulance driver, exploits his job and transfers money, used to fund "terrorist attacks", with the Gazan patients passing through Beit Hanoun checkpoint to receive treatment in the West Bank hospitals.
The Israeli authorities previously posted an edited video to support a claim that the PRCS transferred demonstrators to clash with the Israeli occupation forces in West Bank protests. The PRCS later refuted the Israeli narrative by releasing the full video which showed an injured girl receiving medical care inside an ambulance.
For his part, Abu Raida denied the Israeli accusation on his Facebook page and described it as a "shameless" attempt to give new excuses to block the travel of Gazan patients to the West Bank and Jerusalem for treatment.
2 jan 2018
Gaza's main hospitals have run out of much-needed drugs and kit for surgeries and are about to suspend all urgent surgeries due to an Israeli blockade of its borders.
In a Monday statement, the Gaza-based Palestinian Ministry’s spokesman Ashraf al-Qidrah warned that surgeries and emergency services at Gaza’s hospitals are to be suspended in the next few days as a result of the acute dearth in medicines, medical items, and lab materials.
A few days ago, cleaning companies operating at Gaza hospitals announced a strike due to a salary-cut for the fourth month running. The strike was ended after the Health Minister pledged to shell out their salaries.
Israel has severely restricted the flow of cargo and people through Gaza's crossings, declaring Gaza a hostile entity and a blockaded area for over a decade’s time.
In the absence of drugs, anesthetics, and urgent medical referrals (blocked by the Palestinian Authority, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli occupation authorities), patients in the Gaza enclave have to wait for months, and even years, to undergo life-saving surgeries. Dozens have died halfway through.
In a Monday statement, the Gaza-based Palestinian Ministry’s spokesman Ashraf al-Qidrah warned that surgeries and emergency services at Gaza’s hospitals are to be suspended in the next few days as a result of the acute dearth in medicines, medical items, and lab materials.
A few days ago, cleaning companies operating at Gaza hospitals announced a strike due to a salary-cut for the fourth month running. The strike was ended after the Health Minister pledged to shell out their salaries.
Israel has severely restricted the flow of cargo and people through Gaza's crossings, declaring Gaza a hostile entity and a blockaded area for over a decade’s time.
In the absence of drugs, anesthetics, and urgent medical referrals (blocked by the Palestinian Authority, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli occupation authorities), patients in the Gaza enclave have to wait for months, and even years, to undergo life-saving surgeries. Dozens have died halfway through.
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