This weeks feature : Médecins Sans Frontières Australia

July 2006

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A report from our head of mission in Gaza
Posted July 12, 2006

Two weeks ago, following the kidnapping of one of its soldiers, the Israeli Army returned to the Gaza Strip. This incursion, called ‘Operation Summer Rain,’ has led to considerable damage and human suffering. Laura, our head of mission, reports from the field.
“Last Saturday, I was able to enter the Gaza Strip with our field officer, a doctor and a logistician. We evaluated the situation so that we could respond accordingly.

Operation Summer Rain continues, with Israeli tanks moving through and considerable rocket fire in the northern Gaza Strip. The noise from the explosions is terrifying, especially for the children. Targeted killings are also more frequent, resulting in injuries to civilian passersby who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the same time, Qassam rockets (homemade Palestinian rockets) continue to be fired daily, launched from Gaza towards Israel.

Since June 25, 53 Palestinians have died, including nine children and a woman, and 229 have been wounded, including 79 children and 15 women*. In addition to the deaths and injuries, Operation Summer Rain has also produced considerable damage. The bombing destroyed Gaza’s only electricity plant, which supplied some 100 water pumps serving the area. Houses have been occupied and damaged and many fields have been devastated.
Because electricity has not yet been fully restored (the lines are repaired but regularly destroyed again), some neighborhoods remain cut off from the network for days and regular water supplies are still uncertain**. Yesterday (Monday), MSF brought water to 40 families (around 400 people) who had fled Shoka, an area near the town of Rafah that has been besieged by Israeli tanks.

HOSPITALS ARE EXPERIENCING SUPPLY PROBLEMS BUT CONTINUE TO FUNCTION
The blockade affects the ability to bring in medicine, food and fuel, which is required to operate the electrical generators. Under United Nations pressure, there are additional opportunities to cross, although entry remains under strict Israeli Army control. Army forces have a high presence throughout the area around the Karni transit point, which has been closed for nearly a week. Caring for chronically-ill patients, including those suffering from cancer and diabetes, is still a concern. Those patients can no longer be referred to neighboring countries (Egypt, Israel and Jordan) for care with appropriate equipment and treatments unavailable in Gaza.

We have made contact with the hospitals in the region. For now, they are continuing to work with power provided by electrical generators. The wounded are receiving proper care, operating rooms are functioning and surgeons are on site. Even though they are not being paid, the health care staff are still working. We have provided some donations of medicine and medical supplies, but it is difficult for the hospitals to function that way—waiting for the next contribution without knowing when it will arrive or what it will contain.

A WORSENING HEALTH SITUATION THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED CLOSELY
Given the situation, the population is feeling increasing stress and anxiety. Patients who have been seen by our psychologists—specifically, those in the neighborhoods most affected by ‘Operation Summer Rain’—have asked that those consultations resume as soon as possible to help relieve them of the recent days’ distress. Our psychologists returned to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and will be able to resume therapy sessions.

The health situation has deteriorated since the United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan suspended their direct financial aid to the Palestinian government. If the situation continues to worsen, it could become catastrophic so we are monitoring changes closely. Another MSF team, currently in Amman, Jordan, is prepared to come to our aid in case of emergency.

Updated July 18, 2006

*Between 28 June and 18 July 101 Palestinians (including 18 children, 9 women and 3 handicapped people) have been killed: close to half of these were civilians and more than 300 people have been wounded during the incursions and attacks.

**There was no electricity at all in Rafah between 7 July and 13 July. Elsewhere, electricity is reconnected for an average of 6 to 8 hours per day. Generators are very difficult to find locally and regular water supplies remain uncertain.

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