PRCS increased its readiness to respond to the needs of Palestinians affected by Israeli attacks in various areas in the oPt. Below are the PRCS interventions during the reporting period.
General Situation in the Gaza Strip
• Israel continues shelling indiscriminately civilians and civilian objects in the Gaza Strip which leads to the increase of the death toll and injuries.
• Critical shortage of medical supplies and surgery rooms in hospitals due to the increasing number of injuries following the ground incursion.
• Displacement is increasing with over (102,788) displaced Palestinians taking shelter in 69 UNRWA schools.
• Al Aqsa hospital was directly targeted by the Israeli occupation airstrikes on Sunday morning. This has caused the death of 4 people and severe damages to the operations room and the ICU that lead to the disruption of the hospital’s basic services. This hospital is the only one available in the Der Al Balah area.
• The Israeli forces still deny access to the PRCS ambulances and team to the eastern and northern areas of the Gaza Strip despite the demands by the ICRC.
• At least 107,000 children require direct and specialized psychosocial support (PSS) on the basis of families who have experienced death, injury or loss of home over the past days.
• Almost 1.2 million people in the Gaza Strip have no or very limited access to water due to damage in the electricity system or lack of fuel to run generators to power WASHES facilities. (Sources: OCHA PRCS)
PRCS’ Interventions:
I- The Gaza Strip PRCS’ programs, hospitals, clinics, staff and volunteers are working in the field to provide emergency medical and relief services to the wounded and to affected populations following these Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip.
PRCS’ teams provided First Aid services and transfer more than 476 wounded Palestinians to hospitals in the last two days. The Society also evacuated the bodies of 82 killed from various Gaza Strip areas. They also evacuated hundreds of civilians who flee the targeted area to UNRWA schools in Gaza city.
Dr. Younis Al Khatib participated with the PRCS team in providing humanitarian and emergency services for thousands of displaced from their damaged houses at the UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip. He also participated in evacuating the patients from the hospital with other PRCS team and ICRC teams after it was shelled to Al Shifa hospital in Gaza.
The PRCS Al Quds Hospital and Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis have received many of the casualties and provided the necessary medical attention to them. More than 800 injured were treated in the PRCS hospitals since the start of the attack on the Strip.
II- The West Bank
PRCS’ teams provided emergency and relief services to approx. 95 wounded Palestinians following attacks by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The PRCS hospitals in the West Bank have received and provided the required medical attention to a number of the casualties resulted from the confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces. Moreover, the PRCS Primary Health Care Centers are activated for responding to the needs of the Palestinians 24hrs.
Risks and attacks on the PRCS medical mission:
While carrying out their humanitarian duty, the PRCS medical mission are exposed to direct and indirect attacks and targeting which may jeopardize the lives of the teams and lead to damages in the facilities and ambulances.
• Tuesday, 22/7/2014: Four ambulances were targeted by the Israeli airstrike to prevent them from proceeding into Beit Hanoun area to evacuate the injured.
• Monday, 21/7/2014: one Israeli soldier verbally abused the PRCS team who was evacuating the injured at the Jalazoun refugee camp.
• Monday, 21/7/2014: on the way to evacuate the injured from a house in Khan Younis, the ambulance sustained damages due to a shelling in the same area at the same time.
Humanitarian Aid:
• In response to the PRCS Gaza emergency appeal launched on 14/7/2014, the Indonesian Red Cross contributed in 85,685,000 USD, and the Iranian Red Crescent also contributed in 50,000 USD for the appeal.
• The Sudanese Red Crescent is sending a consignment of medical supplies to reduce the suffering of the affected of the Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip. Moreover, a medical Delegation of – is being dispatched to the Gaza Strip to provide their services in PRCS hospitals, in addition to other hospitals in the Strip.
End.