Gaza updates, medical sector on death-bed

 

From ISM: As Israel targets the wounded, international volunteers to stay at al-Shifa hospital

“…six out of Gaza’s 13 hospitals have already been severely damaged. One, el-Wafa rehabilitation hospital, has been completely destroyed.  Two medical clinic and 12 ambulances have been completely destroyed, seven other clinics have been damaged, 12 medical staff members have been injured, and four have been killed.

“Israel’s ruthless onslaught against Gaza’s hospitals, clinics, and ambulances has pushed its health care sector, already struggling under siege, to the breaking point. With deaths and injuries, including those from Israeli attacks on medical facilities, rapidly mounting, al-Shifa is a red line the world cannot allow Israel to cross.” Stated Joe Catron, a U.S. ISM activist now in al-Shifa.

“They [the Israeli military] are targeting medical facilities, the wounded, the sick, and our children, all over the Gaza Strip. They want us to know that no where is safe.” Stated Dr. Basman Alashi, the executive director of el-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital. El-Wafa was repeatedly bombed and shelled by Israeli forces, forcing the evacuation of all patients and staff on the 17th then attacked by the military once again on the 23rd, completely destroying it.

“With so many hospitals already dysfunctional due to attacks by the Israeli Occupational Forces, we are deeply concerned with how to safeguard al-Shifa Hospital. It is already overwhelmed with wounded and dying people. If Israel continues bombing, patients are going to end up on the street, as there will be nowhere else for them to go. If anything happens, let it be known that the world was forewarned and did nothing to stop this.” Stated Rina Andolini, a UK volunteer now in al-Shifa.”

**

From MEMO: Lack of fuel and electricity may cause humanitarian catastrophe at Gaza hospitals:

“Bassam Hamadeen, the head of the ministry’s maintenance department, said: “The enclave’s hospitals suffer from an acute shortage of fuel and electricity, which threatens the lives of the patients.”

He explained that over the past few days, some hospitals, including Abu Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital and the European Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, have been forced to depend on generators for power. He warned these generators could stop soon because of the lack of fuel.

“The Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza is working with one electric generator after the backup generator crashed when the Israeli army bombed the hospital a few days ago,” Hamdeen said.

He noted that four hospitals have been without electricity for four days including Beit Hanoun hospital, Mohammed Al-Dura hospital, Kamal Adwan hospital, and Shifa hospital.

“Relying entirely on electric generators has depleted the hospitals’ fuel reserves, which means that these generators could stop working any time soon and consequently stop the hospitals’ medical units including the intensive care units, the operating rooms, the laboratories, X-ray equipment and the emergency units.”

According to Hamdeen “the ministry is now operating only 35 out of its 75 ambulances due to the lack of fuel”.

Gaza’s Electricity Distribution Company said Friday that Israel has stopped supplying the Strip with electricity, raising the electricity deficit to 90 percent.

The company’s director of public relations, Jamal Dardasawi said in a statement “the Israeli army gradually suspended electrical power supplies to the Gaza Strip from Israel and Egypt by intentionally targeting the power lines”, adding that Israel destroyed 13 electrical power lines which supply the Strip with power….”

***

Al Akhbar: The victims of Gaza: A list of Palestinians killed in Israel’s ongoing assault:

“The Gaza health ministry has confirmed the deaths of 834 Palestinians so far in the besieged strip since Israel began its relentless assault on July 8. Among those killed, at least 180 were aged 18 or younger.

On Thursday, an Israeli bombing of an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun left at least 15 people dead.

Forty-four families have been “massacred” in Gaza in the past 16 days, according to health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra.”