PHA-Exchange> Emergency Medical Relief Services - Nablus, attacked again

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From: "Palestine Monitor" <palmon at hdip.org>
> Palestine Medical Relief
>
> URGENT ALERT
> Emergency Medical Relief Services - Nablus, attacked again
> Thursday 21st August, 2003
>
> At 3.30 am on Thursday the 21st of August, the Israeli occupying forces
once
> again invaded the Palestine Medical Relief Emergency Clinic, in the old
city
> in Nablus. Upon entering the clinic, the soldiers ordered all the staff to
> leave. Fortunately on this occasion, no one was injured and no equipment
was
> destroyed. However, the soldiers did not allow Palestine Medical Relief
> staff to reenter the clinic until 9.30am, so for 6 hours, medical
personnel
> were prevented from carrying out their essential humanitarian work.
>
> During the same night, ten Palestine Medical Relief First Aid volunteers
> were detained by the Israeli occupying forces, who confiscated their
> Identification Cards, keeping them for five hours. This prevented the
> volunteers from also carrying out their vital work of seeing to the
wounded.
>
> Palestine Medical Relief calls on all humanitarian, human rights and
health
> organizations to condemn the Israeli occupying army's recent actions
because
> they violate the principals of medical neutrality and constitute a gross
> violation of International Law. At a time when there were many Palestinian
> civilians needing urgent medical attention, the Israeli army prevented
help
> from reaching them. This is a clear provocation by the Israeli occupying
> army who have now attacked the Palestine Medical Relief Emergency Clinic
in
> Nablus five times. Clinics in Ramallah, Gaza and Jenin have also
previously
> been subjected to Israeli army attacks.
>