Category: Press Releases - Page 36 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli military falsifies photograph to justify bombing el-Wafa hospital

23rd July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

On the 21^st July at 2:17 PM, the IDF spokesperson released an image on twitter showing an aerial picture of a building marked as ‘Al-Wafa’ hospital. In the image there is a red circle, which they designated as the location from which a M75 rocket was launched.

The building in the picture marked ‘Al-Wafa’ hospital is in fact not the el-Wafa hospital but the Right to Life Society.

“Israel has targeted our hospital based on false and misleading claims. They are targeting medical facilities, the wounded, the sick, and our children, all over the Gaza Strip. They want us to know that nowhere is safe.” Said executive director of el-Wafa hospital, Dr. Basman Alashi.

Photo by Geoview (http://ps.geoview.info/alwafa_medical_rehabilitation_hospital,41253994w)

According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, seven out of 13 hospitals, including el-Wafa, have been severely damaged.

Al Atatra Medical Clinic and 12 ambulances have been completely destroyed, seven other clinics have been damaged, 12 medical staff members have been injured, and three have been killed.

El-Wafa hospital was bombed once again by the Israeli military today after Dr. Alashi, received two phone calls from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN). They passed a message from the Israeli military that, “there are activities in the hospital and the Israeli military may take a bigger action against el-Wafa.”

Dr. Alashi explained to both callers that the hospital is empty; all patients were evacuated on the 17^th of July and that the hospital holds seven million dollars worth of essential medical equipment, as well as two safes that were irretrievable during the emergency evacuation.

“I will hold Israel personally responsible for seven million dollars if they have destroyed the hospital. It has already been bombed and shelled, I don’t understand what they are trying to achieve.” Dr. Alashi stated to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

Ally Cohen, media coordinator for the ISM states, “anyone on the ground in Palestine knows that the Israeli military are constantly releasing completely fabricated information and reports. The only difference in this case, is that we can prove it.”

Wounded man killed by Israeli sniper on camera identified

22nd July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

The injured young man who was shot dead on camera by an Israeli sniper two days ago has been identified as Salem Khalil Salem Shammaly, a 23-year-old resident of Shajiya. After Salem was murdered, the rescue team was unable to recover his body, which like so many others, remains among the rubble.

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) contacted human rights organizations in Gaza to attempt to identify the murdered young man but this proved to be impossible. Therefore the video, which has since gone viral, was published describing him as, “the young man in the green shirt.”

Salem’s family had been searching everywhere for him for two days, including on social media where names and photographs of the wounded and dead are constantly being published. According to Mohammed Alqattawi, his cousin, Salem’s sister recognized her brother on the Youtube video uploaded by the ISM.

While the Shammaly family has found out that their missing son is dead, other families are still searching for their loved ones.

Dr. Mohamed Abu Arab, one of the doctors from the Norwegian delegation now volunteering in al Shifa Hospital said, “The first attack on Shajiya was for five hours, many people were evacuated from the area, however not everyone was able to leave. Patients have been coming to us doctors and asking us to find their families. We know that they’re either dead, in the ruins, or dying. Yesterday a five-year-old child was admitted to the hospital asking for his parents, but we all knew that they were not able to leave Shajiya, and are probably dead.”

Video of Israeli sniper killing wounded civilian

21st July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

See Update here

Yesterday, international and Palestinian volunteers accompanied Civil Defence and other rescue crews, as well as family members, into Shajiya neighbourhood in Gaza. They attempted to locate survivors of overnight and ongoing shelling by the Israeli army. A young Palestinian man in a green shirt hoped to find his family. He was shot by an Israeli soldier while crossing an alley between buildings. Two additional rounds struck him as he lay injured on the ground. His dead body could not be retrieved.

The ambulance shown in the video was shelled by the Israeli military, killing paramedic Faud Jaber.

Dr Mona el-Farra of the Red Crescent Society in Gaza told ISM that, “The Israeli military is targeting medical facilities. 77% of medical facilities in Gaza have sustained damage, some of which have been completely destroyed.”

“They said we would be able to evacuate the injured from the disaster zone, but they have been shelling ambulances,” stated Dr Khalil Abu Foul of the Palestinian Red Crescent, speaking from Shajiya.

Human rights defenders under live fire, one dead

20th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

The Israeli military just shot a Gazan man trying to reach his family, during an announced ceasefire. He was with a group of municipality workers and international human rights defenders who were attempting to retrieve injured people in the Shajiya neighbourhood.

The international activists and municipality workers are being fired at by the Israeli military. The young man who was killed can be seen in green t-shirt. — The international activists and municipality workers are being fired at by the Israeli military. The young man who was killed can be seen in a green t-shirt.

“We all just watched a man murdered in front of us. He was trying to reach his family in Shajiya, he had not heard from them and was worried about them. They shot him, and then continued to fire as he was on the ground. We had no choice but to retreat. We couldn’t reach him due to the artillery fire and then he stopped moving.” Stated Joe Catron, U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist in Gaza. “Shajiya is a smoking wasteland. We just passed two bombed out ambulances.”

The Israel military has also shelled Red Crescent ambulances as they attempted to retrieve injured people in the Shajiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City. A ceasefire was announced, during which injured and dead people, could be evacuated from the area, in which at least 60 people have been killed today.

Now, the international volunteers, including some from the U.S., the UK, and Sweden, are in a rescue centre on the outskirts of Shajiya.

El-Wafa hospital staff attempted to retrieve medicine

19th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement| Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Hospital staff and international activists, from the U.S., Sweden, and the UK, attempted to travel to the recently bombed el-Wafa hospital, in an attempt to retrieve salvageable medical supplies.

When they arrived at the hospital it was, “still smoking from the attack this morning.” Stated U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist, Joe Catron. The staff and activists were forced to retreat.

Charlie Andreasson, Swedish (ISM) activist, states, “We were waiting to get clearance from the Red Cross to go back to el-Wafa. This is urgent because without medicine, the patients cannot receive proper treatment, and coordination through the Red Cross has not been possible. ”

Previous attempts by the Red Crescent to enter the Shajaiya neighbourhood to retrieve wounded people from this area were met with live ammunition from the Israeli army. El-Wafa hospital is just outside of Shajaiya.

On July 17^th, the Israeli military fired rockets and shelled the hospital, forcing patients to be evacuated to Al Sahaba medical complex.

Basman Alashi, executive director of el-Wafa hospital told ISM, “Due to the emergency evacuation we were forced to move quickly, and had to leave behind important medication, supplies are now running low.”

The embassies of the international activists were informed by the ISM, and asked to do everything in their power to fulfil their responsibility to ensure that Israel respects international law and does not target this delegation of Palestinian and international human rights defenders.

The staff and internationals may try to retrieve supplies again, for now it was impossible.