Tag: Operation Protective Edge - Page 3 - International Solidarity Movement

Short stories from Gaza

5th August 2014 | Sarah Algherbawi | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

These are short stories from Gaza, a brief picture of our suffering. Reality is much more painful. The description under each photo consists of facts published on news agencies and social media. For each photo I also wrote a story. Some of the photographed people we have seen on TV, others I know their friends or relatives, and the narrative is mine from my knowledge of their circumstances.

Behind numbers, many stories are hidden and buried!

I was happy, a beautiful bride, preparing for my wedding and a house with my beloved fiancé, my soul mate…I was engaged for 13 months, and supposed to get married in August 2014. He promised to make me happy for the rest of my life…

Now, I’m alone. He never lied. He didn’t have the chance to meet his promised. He was killed.

I was happy with my wedding ring. I couldn’t believe that the woman I have always dreamed of was finally my wife. I even took a picture of the ring and put it as my profile picture on Facebook. I was going to be a daddy – my wife was pregnant when I was killed…

I wish that I could see my son. I wish he knew me. I don’t even know whether the baby is a boy or a girl… but I think he will be a boy and will hold the name of his father, Khaled…

I was a journalist, too. I was killed only for doing my job.

I had a brother. We used to fight too much. Mom had always begged us to stop fighting and making noise. We played together and spent a lot of time with each other. I never thought I would lose him this fast! I loved him very much. I didn’t tell him that. I thought I would have ages to do so…

I only wish I’d had the chance to tell him before he was killed. I can’t understand why he’s gone. He was just a kid like me. He didn’t do anything bad to others!

We witnessed a war. Our parents didn’t allow us to go out and play. We told them that we’re just children – why would they hurt us? We were very bored! We didn’t go out for weeks…

Dad told us to play on the roof. He thought it was a safe place. We had so much fun, before we were killed there.

We had a mom and a dad. They loved us very much. Mom was waiting for the war to end to take us to the market and buy us new uniforms for school and new clothes for Eid. They promised to teach us whatever we wanted, and take care of us until we grew up…

Mom always wished to attend our weddings and see our children…

The war is not over. Eid came, and they were not present. They were killed. We’re alone now. Who will take care of us?

I was pretty. My friends at school used to feel jealous of me. I always felt that I was a princess…

I don’t know what happened. I don’t even understand what they are saying. I heard doctors saying that something called fragments hurt me. I don’t even want to understand. I only want my beautiful face back!

I had a beautiful daughter. I spoiled her and loved her like no father in the world could do…

I always dreamed of her wedding day, how she would look. Would any man on earth love her the way I do?! I asked God to give me health and long age until that moment came…

It never came to my mind that she would die before I did.

They killed my daughter.

They took my soul.

I was scared to death!

Gaza Ministry of Health: “Al Najar Hospital in Rafah evacuated as Israeli genocidal rampage continues”

1st August 2014 | Gaza Ministry of Health | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

The Ministry of Health Gaza announces the closure of Al Najar Hospital in Rafah, due to Israeli shelling in the vicinity compromising its ability to guarantee the safety of patients and staff.

The hospital has now been evacuated, bringing to four the number of government hospitals closed by Israeli attacks in the past three and a half weeks.

El-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital, the only specialist rehabilitation hospital in Palestine, was forced to evacuate on July 17th, and completely destroyed on July 23rd.

Al Durrah Paediatric Hospital was forced to evacuate on July 24 because of damage caused by an Israeli strike next to it, and closed.

Beit Hanoun Hospital was evacuated on July 26 after several hours of direct and indirect shelling overnight, and closed.

Israeli attacks on hospitals are a gross breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as are attacks on civilians.

At least 65 people have been killed in the Rafah attacks, more than 350 wounded, and the attacks are still ongoing.

The Ministry of Health Gaza calls on the United Nations, the international community and people of good conscience everywhere to take concrete action to bring an immediate end to the ongoing Israeli attacks on medical facilities and personnel, and massacres of Gaza civilians.

Shells fall on Rafah on Friday (photo from Ma'an Images). — Shells fall on Rafah on Friday (photo from Ma’an Images).

Action Alert: Children trapped at the Rafah crossing

1st August 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Update 2nd August:

Thanks to every one who responded to our urgent action alert, the Egyptian authorities opened the gate to allow the trapped group of foreign passport holders in!

Read more about their harrowing ordeal here.

Lets keep the pressure up on the Egyptian government until it opens the Rafah crossing to everyone and ends it’s complicity with Israel’s genocide.

See the Action alert issued by civil society organizations and public figures to demand the opening of the Rafah crossing here.

*******

This morning a group of over 70 people, mostly women and children carrying foreign passports, planned to take advantage of the ceasefire to leave Gaza and enter Egypt. Israel began bombing Rafah and the Egyptian personnel closed the Egyptian side of the border, leaving them trapped at the crossing, as the bombs fall around them. The Red Cross is not being allowed to reach them due to the bombing in the area.

Their nationalities include German, Norwegian, Bulgarian, and Egyptian.

Call the Egyptian Embassy in your country.

Call the German, Norwegian, Bulgarian foreign office and political representatives to demand that the Egyptian government opens the crossing and allows civilians to take refuge.

Use the hashtag #EndComplicity to ask the Egyptian government to let these families cross the border @egyptgovportal @EgyptEmbassyUSA @egyptconsulatuk

“The situation is very scary, the borders are closed and we are here, 70 people, mostly women and children trapped. I can see the smoke and fire, and I can hear the explosions very close to where we are,” said Nalan, one of the women trapped at the Rafah Crossing, talking to The Real News.

Listen to the audio recording of a phone call with Nalan Al Sarraj, correspondent for The Real News Network, trapped at the crossing here.

A call issued by civil society organizations and public figures including African National Congress (ANC) leaders Ahmed Kathrada, Ronnie Kasrils, and former vice president of the European Parliament, Luisa Morgantini and Richard Falk states that “Despite a call from Egyptian citizens to lift the siege, the Egyptian government which controls one border and has the option to be part of a humanitarian response to the besieged people of Gaza, has instead supported the Israeli plan for return to the status quo of slow genocide.”

Palestinian-Egyptians wait to enter the Rafah border crossing, the only border through which Palestinians can exit Gaza — Egypt must open the Rafah crossing. Photo by Eyad Al Baba /APA images.

UPDATED: Israeli military announce they will bomb al-Shifa hospital in Gaza

1st August 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Updated August 5th:

International volunteers, along with ISM activists, are continuing to stay in al-Shifa hospital four days after it was threatened to be bombed by the Israeli military.

“From experience, we cannot trust the Israeli military to not attack during this ceasefire. Temporary ceasefire or not, we take the threat against al-Shifa seriously and we will remain inside the hospital until we’re no longer needed.” Stated Fred Ekblad, Swedish ISM activist in al-Shifa Hospital.

After the hospital received a threat by phone, they evacuated all staff and patients inside the threatened building, and were forced to move them back into the main site, although it is already near capacity with wounded men, women, and children. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as of August 4th, 1865 Palestinians have been killed and a further 9536 have been wounded.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on August 2nd that at least five hospitals and 34 clinics had been forced to shut down due to damage or continuing hostilities in the immediate area. At least 15 medical and emergency staff have been killed in the line of duty, and dozens have been injured.

*******

Al-Shifa hospital has received a phone call telling them a building of the hospital will be bombed.

At 16:30, the hospital received a call from an unlisted number, stating a building needed to be evacuated immediately.

The building is being used for overflow patients, and is directly across the road from the main hospital building. It is part of the hospital site, but building work has yet to be completed.

The hospital is now in the process of evacuating all staff and patients inside.

“I’d like to say that Israel’s threats to bomb Gaza’s largest hospital have reached a new low, but in light of it’s relentless atrocities and civilian massacres over the last 25 days, it’s hardly unexpected.” Stated Joe Catron, U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist now in al-Shifa hospital.

Since July 25^th, international volunteers from countries including Spain, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand, Australia, and Venezuela have begun a constant protective presence in various locations at the al-Shifa Hospital.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as of July 29th, there have been 34 attacks against Gazan medical facilities since this latest Israeli military assault began 25 days ago.

Gaza Ministry of Health: “Gaza surgery being performed in corridors, on the floor

31st July 2014 | Gaza Ministry of Health | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Gaza hospitals are operating under impossible conditions, with surgery now being performed in corridors and on the floor due to the sheer numbers of wounded from massacres such as Shati park, UNRWA school and Shujeiyah market.

Surgery in the corridors (photo by Gaza Ministry of Health).

Lack of theatre space sees two persons being operated on at a time in the same theatre, while others receive surgical interventions in the corridors.

Even beds are in such short supply that surgeons are forced to undertake complicated procedures while their patients lie on stretchers on the floor.

There is nowhere to send the patients post-operatively, with Shifa ICU full, and no vacant beds in surgical wards. Some surgical cases have been sent to maternity and internal medicine hospitals, and to other hospitals outside Shifa medical complex.

Despite 30 patients being ready for discharge, they literally have nowhere to go. These 30 beds are desperately needed.

Performing surgery on the floor of the corridor (photo by Gaza Ministry of Health).

Wards are full to overflowing, with patients lying on mattresses in the corridors. It has deteriorated to the extent that patients have even been sharing beds, and others are being discharged prematurely.

In many cases no patient notes are being recorded contemporaneously or files created because the staff just cannot take the time away from treating the high volume of patients. Some details are being recorded afterwards, but this is less than ideal.

These conditions are a recipe for disaster.

Infection control is well-nigh impossible, and post-operative complications including death will be inevitable.

Deaths are already occurring from a lack of timely treatment, as the numbers of patients far exceed the capacity of the staff. We estimate that we have a 50% shortfall in staff numbers to deal with the case loads presenting for treatment, resulting in some patients receiving suboptimal care and others receiving none at all.

Current staff are as overburdened as the facilities they serve, working without pay for 24 hours on a day-on, day-off roster. All surgeons and surgical staff have been recalled, to cope with the sheer numbers. They are suffering enormous stress, not only from lack of rest, the horrendous injuries they are dealing with and the under-resourced conditions under which they work, but also due to constant fear for their families, and fear of attack as hospitals have increasingly become targets of Israeli fire.

The Ministry of Health Gaza calls for:

The UN, ICRC and other international NGOs to provide as a matter of urgency safe and hygienic shelters for the discharge of displaced patients to free up desperately-needed hospital beds;
the borders to be opened immediately to enable the entry of urgently-required medical teams and equipment to alleviate the workloads; and
the international community to take immediate and concrete action to reign in the unfettered Israeli war crimes in Gaza.