September #, 2014 ― Doha: Throughout the recent two-month war on Gaza, Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) was at the forefront of efforts to provide all forms of assistance for the innocent people of Gaza, particularly in medical and ambulatory services, as well as mobilizing international support to intervene and put an end to this human tragedy.
As early as mid-July, QRC pledged QR 2 million through its Disaster Response Fund to secure urgent relief for Gaza. An emergency appeal was also issued to raise $3 million (QR 10,950,000) to help 40,000 people, or 6,000 families affected by the Israeli attacks on Gaza, over 6 months.
QRC condemned the human rights violations committed against Gaza, considering these actions as contrary to the international humanitarian law and all global principles and conventions in relation to armed conflict and protection of civilians.
A high-profile QRC delegation headed by Dr. Mohamed bin Ghanem Al-Ali Al-Maadheed attended a meeting held by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) in Amman, Jordan, to discuss the humanitarian situation in the enclave.
During the meeting, representatives of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) National Societies called upon the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to take action to protect civilians, particularly children and the national and international medical/relief teams working in Gaza.
Dr. Al-Maadheed stressed the need to find a mechanism for materializing the decisions of the meeting. The motion was approved, and a three-member committee including Dr. Al-Maadheed was formed to follow up on the implementation of the decisions, most importantly the organization of an international conference for humanitarian organizations, human rights partners, and NGOs to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. They also decided to hold another IFRC meeting in Gaza.
Another QRC delegation visited ICRC to explore the possibility of sending medical teams to Gaza, securing the slightest protection for hospitals, and providing relief items through ICRC logistics.
Meanwhile, QRC relief teams were working hard and facing all challenges to help the distressed Gaza people and treat the injured of daily bombings, despite the international diplomatic pressures to stop the bloodshed and the successive truces.
According to Palestine Red Crescent (PRC), United Nations agencies, and Palestinian Ministry of Health reports, there were severe deficits in healthcare, water and sanitation, sheltering, and food. QRC Office in Gaza made a quick damage assessment to identify the most urgent needs, which were found to be medical supplies and fuel for hospitals.
The latest situation report issued by QRC on 26 August indicated that the casualties increased to as high as 2,120 deaths — most of whom were civilians, including 260 women and 577 children — and 10,854 injuries — including 3,307 children. Since the enclave was declared in a state of emergency, two doctors and 42 medical workers were killed while performing their humanitarian work, and 28 PRC ambulance vehicles were targeted, with seven totally destroyed.
Amid insecurity as a result of extensive military operations and bombing of civilian buildings, which leveled 17,200 homes, nearly 500,000 people (or more than one quarter of Gaza population) were displaced and infrastructure was damaged, mainly Gaza's only power plant, water installations, and sewerage networks.
Status of QRC Projects
QRC Office in Gaza issued a formal report on the current status of projects implemented by QRC in Gaza over the past few years, to measure the total or partial damage caused by the recent two-month Israeli war on Gaza. Among the major projects affected by Israeli attacks were the establishment of Al-Wafaa Hospital Diabetic Foot Department, rebuilding and maintenance of Al-Azhar Faculty of Agriculture, home and school rehabilitation for students with disabilities, and building and furnishing of the University College's technical workshop.
Fortunately, there were some accomplished works that were not affected by the war, including the finishing of Al-Shifaa Hospital's specialized surgery building, rehabilitation of sewerage pumps and generators, and all the components of disability services and higher education development programmes not covered in the report.
Medical Supplies for Hospitals
QRC supplied seven basic medicine categories (totaling 40,300 packages worth $76,850) to the Ministry of Health warehouses to support emergency and surgical services at Gaza's five major hospitals (Al-Shifaa, Kamal Adwan, Al-Aqsa Martyrs, Nasser, and the European), which helped them save thousands of lives. Arrangements were taken to purchase additional 74 categories of medicines and medical consumables exceeding 2.8 million packages for $2 million.
Repair of Water Network Damage
At a cost of $190,000, QRC and Gaza Municipality field teams conducted an water network emergency maintenance project. The municipality was provided with spare parts and maintenance tools for rehabilitation, which helped rerun water services at a district of 200,000 population and 30,000 DIPs living at 29 schools.
Medical and Surgical Equipment
In particular, orthopedic surgery and preterm birth departments were under-equipped, which left them unable to serve the public properly and resulted in higher mortality rates or more referrals for treatment abroad. In coordination with the Gaza Ministry of Health, lists of necessary needs were developed to provide those departments with medical equipment and consumables and surgical tools. The purchase procedures were already completed, and supplies will be delivered within days.
In addition, QRC refurnished the new premises of Al-Wafaa Medical Rehabilitation and Specialized Surgery Hospital in eastern Gaza at a cost of $126,000, and provided medicines and medical consumables for eight public hospitals at a total cost of $450,000, $50,000 of which went to Al-Wafaa Hospital.
QRC also purchased new medical equipment worth $200,000 and distributed it to Gaza hospitals, with more $1.5 million worth of medical equipment underway.
New Ambulances for PRC
With the destruction of their ambulance vehicles, PRC field teams were unable to reach injured victims quickly and move them to hospitals. QRC is in the process of purchasing a couple of new ambulance vehicles at a value of $144,718 and entering them into Gaza.
Expansion of Al-Amal Clinical Rehabilitation
Established by QRC with funding from Al-Fakhoora Campaign and the Programme of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Reconstruction of Gaza, the Clinical Rehabilitation Department of the Khan Younes-located Al-Amal Hospital became the only resort for injured people who need specialized medical rehabilitation services after Al-Wafaa Hospital was totally destroyed. As the department was unable to receive the increasing numbers of victims, QRC paid $115,000 to double its capacity by providing additional beds and medical equipment and consumables. A whole floor of the hospital was designated for this expansion.
Support Gaza Festival
In cooperation with the Katara Cultural Village Foundation and several charitable and media institutions, QRC organized a Gaza solidarity festival, which featured diverse cultural, artistic, and musical shows by a select of artists, singers, and poets from Qatar, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, amid a huge multinational public presence to express solidarity with the rights of the Palestinian people.
During the festival, donations poured in from all segments of society, including individuals, companies, and State institutions, raising as much funds as QR 150 million.
QRC receives donations from any person willing to support the relief efforts for the victims of the war on Gaza via the hotline: 6666-6364, QRC premises in Old Slata or QRC agents at various malls, online at: www.qrcs.org.qa, or by sending an SMS with 'Qatar' to 92766 to donate QR 100.