Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has been closely following the recent events in the northern Gaza Strip and is deeply concerned. Many Palestinian civilians, including a large number of children have been injured or killed by the Israeli army (at least 15 children killed), movement has been extremely limited to the point that even patients and medical personnel are unable to reach their destinations, and much damage has been done to homes and other building such as schools. Part of this damage and the injuries and deaths are a result of the army using extreme force and heavy military equipment. The current situation is a significant deterioration of the already unacceptable health conditions that have existed in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli closure and siege policies of the last several years. Palestinian militants have also attacked Israeli civilians and, for example, 2 children were killed in Sderot last week.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has received reports from local medical teams in the northern Gaza Strip (specifically Beit Lahiya, Jabaliya and Jabaliya refugee camp) that medical services have been paralyzed- this directly threatens the health and lives of the residents, especially chronically ill patients, children and pregnant women. For example, since the start of the operations in the northern section of the strip on 28 September 2004 the Palestinian Authority has stopped supplying vaccinations to the residents since the medical staffs’ lives are at risk. Also, there is only one medical clinic in Beit Hanoun and supplies, such as blood and medicines, are running low. The hundreds of people living in the al-`Awda and a-Nada buildings, on the border of the Nitsanit settlement, have no milk for the children, have no electricity, very little water, some children suffering from asthma have used up their inhalers and do not have more, there are 5 cases of diabetics without insulin, and other critical problems. In addition, the people and especially the children are suffering extreme mental distress due to the military activity being conducted so close to their homes – the tanks are stationed about 100 meters from the residents and the houses are fired upon from the direction of the settlement. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel continues to maintain contact with the residents.
Since the start of the operation patients have been unable to reach the hospitals in Gaza and to leave the Gaza Strip and enter Israel for treatment. Before the Jewish holidays, which began over 2 weeks ago, about 50 patients a day, including 15 cancer patients, on average, entered Israel for treatment, although they did encounter difficulties in doing so. Since then these people have been completely unable to exit the Gaza Strip to receive treatment, and the cancer patients’ conditions continue to worsen. The army claims that it opened a “humanitarian route”, however this route is unsafe for ambulance to use and any movement of an ambulance to the route is met with gunfire from the army. The civilian population is not even aware of the existence of such a route. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is not aware of even one case of an ambulance that successfully used the route.
The Israeli army is responsible for the Palestinian population especially while it conducts military operations in the Occupied Territories, as decreed by the Israeli High Court in response to a petition filed by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and other organizations earlier this year. This responsibility lies on Israel regardless of the actions or statement done or made by the Palestinian Authority. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel offers the Israeli army assistance, if it so desires, in helping coordinate the passage of Palestinian patients to and from treatment and hospitalization.
The Israeli military continues to talk of an open-ended operation that might continue for several more weeks. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is concerned that the army did not yet set up any means to deal with humanitarian issues, and demands that the army immediately solve this problem so that patients can receive treatment and medical staff can freely do their jobs. Freedom of movement must be granted to patients, ambulances and medical staff as required by International Humanitarian Law, and the Israeli army must also allow for medical centers to restock the basic supplies needed to service the population. The association condemns the continued violence, which is particularly harming the weak such as the ill and children, and calls on both sides to work for an end to the violence and for the international community to help the sides do so.
3 October 2004
For more information:
Ibrahim Habib, Intervention Coordinator, +972-54-7577696
Shabtai Gold, Public Outreach, +972-54-4860630
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel http://www.phr.org.il
UPDATE
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
Israeli campaign might endanger medical staff and patients in Gaza
05 October 2004
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel calls upon the Israeli army to instruct its soldiers to act in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law in all their actions in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), and in particular in regards to the ill and medical staff. The organization is concerned due the fact that hospitals and ambulances in the Gaza strip have been fire upon in the current military operation in the northern section of the strip, in addition to many similar incidents in previous operation in the oPt, and due to the Israeli claims in regards to the pictures taken by an Israeli drone of a UN vehicle. The Israelis claim that the pictures show Palestinians loading a rocket into the vehicles- the UN has denied these allegations and has said that the object seen is a stretcher. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel awaits the results of the UN investigation which is under way.
The manner in which the Israelis conducted their campaign regarding the pictures may endanger patients and medical staff, since soldiers are now more likely to assume that medical vehicles are actually enemy vehicles. The Israelis conducted a public campaign regarding the matter, in which the respectable name of medical vehicles in the oPt is smeared, without making certain that their soldiers are aware of how to treat medical staff and patients in accordance with International Law at all times and under all circumstances. The Israelis did not use cautious language in their campaign, as they should have being that the incident had not been fully investigated.
Freedom of movement in the Gaza Strip for all is severely limited. This negatively affects the health and lives of Palestinian residents and hampers the ability of medical teams to work. The added campaign conducted might only serve to worsen the already unacceptable health situation.
In addition, it seems that the Israelis acted in haste in declaring the object seen in the film a rocket and currently they seem to be slowly retracting their claims. They declared speculation as fact and did not leave any room for the possibility of error. Even had the claims been true the campaign was conducted in an improper manner and one that might harm the health and lives of the Palestinian civilian population and lead to increased aggressive behavior towards humanitarian and medical staff and patients. The campaign seems especially erroneous in the event that the claims are not true.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has publicly condemned in the use of medical vehicles for military activity on both sides and continues to forcefully object to such action. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation in this case, both sides must make certain to never use medical vehicles for anything other than their medical purposes. Israel must immediately issue orders and instructions to its soldiers to ensure the lives and safety of the civilian population and especially the ill, pregnant women and medical teams. This is an important way to at least partially change the deplorable current health situation in the oPt, until the violence and occupation come to an end.
For more information:
Shay Kramer, Intervention Coordinator, +972-54-5205088
Shabtai Gold, Public Outreach, +972-54-4860630
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel http://www.phr.org.il
mail@phr.org.il
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has received reports from local medical teams in the northern Gaza Strip (specifically Beit Lahiya, Jabaliya and Jabaliya refugee camp) that medical services have been paralyzed- this directly threatens the health and lives of the residents, especially chronically ill patients, children and pregnant women. For example, since the start of the operations in the northern section of the strip on 28 September 2004 the Palestinian Authority has stopped supplying vaccinations to the residents since the medical staffs’ lives are at risk. Also, there is only one medical clinic in Beit Hanoun and supplies, such as blood and medicines, are running low. The hundreds of people living in the al-`Awda and a-Nada buildings, on the border of the Nitsanit settlement, have no milk for the children, have no electricity, very little water, some children suffering from asthma have used up their inhalers and do not have more, there are 5 cases of diabetics without insulin, and other critical problems. In addition, the people and especially the children are suffering extreme mental distress due to the military activity being conducted so close to their homes – the tanks are stationed about 100 meters from the residents and the houses are fired upon from the direction of the settlement. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel continues to maintain contact with the residents.
Since the start of the operation patients have been unable to reach the hospitals in Gaza and to leave the Gaza Strip and enter Israel for treatment. Before the Jewish holidays, which began over 2 weeks ago, about 50 patients a day, including 15 cancer patients, on average, entered Israel for treatment, although they did encounter difficulties in doing so. Since then these people have been completely unable to exit the Gaza Strip to receive treatment, and the cancer patients’ conditions continue to worsen. The army claims that it opened a “humanitarian route”, however this route is unsafe for ambulance to use and any movement of an ambulance to the route is met with gunfire from the army. The civilian population is not even aware of the existence of such a route. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is not aware of even one case of an ambulance that successfully used the route.
The Israeli army is responsible for the Palestinian population especially while it conducts military operations in the Occupied Territories, as decreed by the Israeli High Court in response to a petition filed by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and other organizations earlier this year. This responsibility lies on Israel regardless of the actions or statement done or made by the Palestinian Authority. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel offers the Israeli army assistance, if it so desires, in helping coordinate the passage of Palestinian patients to and from treatment and hospitalization.
The Israeli military continues to talk of an open-ended operation that might continue for several more weeks. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is concerned that the army did not yet set up any means to deal with humanitarian issues, and demands that the army immediately solve this problem so that patients can receive treatment and medical staff can freely do their jobs. Freedom of movement must be granted to patients, ambulances and medical staff as required by International Humanitarian Law, and the Israeli army must also allow for medical centers to restock the basic supplies needed to service the population. The association condemns the continued violence, which is particularly harming the weak such as the ill and children, and calls on both sides to work for an end to the violence and for the international community to help the sides do so.
3 October 2004
For more information:
Ibrahim Habib, Intervention Coordinator, +972-54-7577696
Shabtai Gold, Public Outreach, +972-54-4860630
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel http://www.phr.org.il
UPDATE
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
Israeli campaign might endanger medical staff and patients in Gaza
05 October 2004
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel calls upon the Israeli army to instruct its soldiers to act in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law in all their actions in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), and in particular in regards to the ill and medical staff. The organization is concerned due the fact that hospitals and ambulances in the Gaza strip have been fire upon in the current military operation in the northern section of the strip, in addition to many similar incidents in previous operation in the oPt, and due to the Israeli claims in regards to the pictures taken by an Israeli drone of a UN vehicle. The Israelis claim that the pictures show Palestinians loading a rocket into the vehicles- the UN has denied these allegations and has said that the object seen is a stretcher. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel awaits the results of the UN investigation which is under way.
The manner in which the Israelis conducted their campaign regarding the pictures may endanger patients and medical staff, since soldiers are now more likely to assume that medical vehicles are actually enemy vehicles. The Israelis conducted a public campaign regarding the matter, in which the respectable name of medical vehicles in the oPt is smeared, without making certain that their soldiers are aware of how to treat medical staff and patients in accordance with International Law at all times and under all circumstances. The Israelis did not use cautious language in their campaign, as they should have being that the incident had not been fully investigated.
Freedom of movement in the Gaza Strip for all is severely limited. This negatively affects the health and lives of Palestinian residents and hampers the ability of medical teams to work. The added campaign conducted might only serve to worsen the already unacceptable health situation.
In addition, it seems that the Israelis acted in haste in declaring the object seen in the film a rocket and currently they seem to be slowly retracting their claims. They declared speculation as fact and did not leave any room for the possibility of error. Even had the claims been true the campaign was conducted in an improper manner and one that might harm the health and lives of the Palestinian civilian population and lead to increased aggressive behavior towards humanitarian and medical staff and patients. The campaign seems especially erroneous in the event that the claims are not true.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has publicly condemned in the use of medical vehicles for military activity on both sides and continues to forcefully object to such action. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation in this case, both sides must make certain to never use medical vehicles for anything other than their medical purposes. Israel must immediately issue orders and instructions to its soldiers to ensure the lives and safety of the civilian population and especially the ill, pregnant women and medical teams. This is an important way to at least partially change the deplorable current health situation in the oPt, until the violence and occupation come to an end.
For more information:
Shay Kramer, Intervention Coordinator, +972-54-5205088
Shabtai Gold, Public Outreach, +972-54-4860630
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel http://www.phr.org.il
mail@phr.org.il