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<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=noreply@hrea.org href="mailto:noreply@hrea.org">Shabtai Gold</A>
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src="http://www.hrea.org/phplist/ut.php?u=6e3ee9476884355c4aea5b8e8a6bfa35&m=2714"
width=1 border=0>Physicians for Human Rights-Israel<BR>UPDATE<BR>04 September
2006
<P>For the first time in six years, members of Physicians for Human
Rights-Israel were granted access to the Gaza Strip to witness up close the
plight of the residents of the strip in the shadow of the unrestrained Israeli
attacks. <BR><BR>Since September 2000, the per capita income has dropped by 50%-
from a new report by the World Bank. <BR><BR>“There is no hope” in Gaza- Jan
Egeland, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
.</P>
<P>A delegation of physicians and staff members from Physicians for Human
Rights-Israel met with their Palestinian colleagues from the health and human
rights fields in the Gaza Strip. The delegation visited hospitals in Gaza city
and in Beit Lahiya, toured areas that were especially harmed in the Israeli
army’s attacks, particularly in the Shaja`iya neighborhood and in the power
station compound which was bombed by the Israeli air force on 29 June 2006. The
delegation visited two hospitals: Kamal `Adwan in Beit Lahiya and Shifa, the
main hospital of the Gaza Strip. <BR><BR>Kamal 'Adwan Hospital as an example:
This is a small and poor hospital which supplies health services to more than
40,000 residents. Since 26 June 2006 the hospital has received more than 260
cases, about 60% of these were defined as critical, mostly due to the Israeli
bombing of the northern section of the strip. Because of the large number of
injured and the nature of their wounds, the hospital staff is many times at a
loss to treat the injuries. Due to the bombing of the power station, the
hospital is subjected to power outages that last for numerous hours each day;
the two generators the hospital uses cannot handle the workload and they are
mostly used in the two most important wards: emergency room and the operating
rooms. <BR><BR>The limited delegation consisted of members of the PHR-Israel
board, Prof. Zvi Bentwich and Dr. Hassan Matani, together with staff members
from the Occupied Territories Project. Prof. Bentwich even examined a few
patients whose cases the organization handles, such as an AIDS patient who
requires treatment in Israel, however he is denied entry, even after an appeal
to the Israeli High Court on his behalf. <BR><BR>The staff and board members met
with the organization’s Palestinian partners such as the Gaza Community Mental
Health Programme and the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, in addition to the
medical centers. It is to be noted that the organization has been prevented from
meeting with some of its colleagues for the past six years, mostly because
members of the organization were not allowed to enter Gaza. <BR><BR>The
delegation entered Gaza on Friday morning and left the strip Saturday evening.
<BR><BR>Amongst the delegation’s findings: <BR><BR>* The medical staff met
patients that do not have treatment in Gaza and are sentenced to a slow death as
they cannot go for treatment in Israel or in Egypt. <BR>* The Palestinian
Minister of Health, Dr. Basem Na`im, said to the delegation: the lack of
experts- for example, in the radiology field- and the closing of the border
crossings are the most difficult problems. Indeed, Rafah Crossing has been
closed almost completely, and there are patients who are afraid to go to Egypt
as it is possible to be stuck at the checkpoint on the Egyptian side for months.
<BR>* A routine of collective punishment and killing of civilians. The medical
staff at Shifa told the delegation that in order for an ambulance to approach a
scene of an attack were there are injured people, it requires permission from
the Israeli army. This can take an extended period of time. There were cases of
people who were not critically injured but who died from loss of blood at the
scene of the attack. Moreover, people who tried to help others were harmed
themselves during the evacuation process. All this leads to an anger and despair
amongst the people. <BR>* PHR-Israel was given tissue of those harmed in Israeli
military action as well as half a flachette shell and shrapnel removed from the
victims. <BR>* There is hunger in Gaza- the delegation met with women and
children in states of malnutrition. <BR>* Streets and homes were completely
destroyed for no apparent reason. <BR>* In the hospital morgues the delegation
saw charcoaled and shredded bodies. <BR><BR>In light of the visit, Physicians
for Human Rights-Israel wishes to express its position that the de-humanization
of the Palestinians by Israel allows for the state to wage against the residents
of the Gaza Strip an indiscriminate attack. Only a fundamental change in
Israel’s attitude will bring about a change for the better for the residents of
Gaza and will offer hope to the residents of Israel and the occupied
territories. <BR><BR>For more information: Maskit Bendel, Director, Occupied
Territories Project, +972-54-7700477 or Shabtai Gold, Public Outreach,
+972-54-4860630 </P>
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