(Monday – 20/7/2014): Dr Younis Al Khatib, President of the PRCS arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning through the Rafah crossing point to follow up on the humanitarian crisis which has been growing worse in the Gaza Strip due to the continuous Israeli attack for the last two weeks.
Following the shelling of the Shijaia neighborhood, Dr. AL Khatib along with a large PRCS team, with the support from the ICRC, were able to enter the neighborhood during a 2 hour humanitarian truce to begin evacuating victims to hospitals and rescuing people trapped under the rubbles of their destroyed buildings
Furthermore, Dr Al Khatib visited the PRCS emergency and ambulance centers and the central operations room which monitors and coordinates the society’s humanitarian response.
During his visit, the President met with staff and volunteers who have been working tirelessly to support the victims of the Israeli attack providing first aid, emergency relief and psychosocial support.
Later, the President visited the PRCS Al Quds and Al Amal hospitals to check on the health services provided to the injured people. He also visited the Al-Shifaa hospital in Gaza which has seen a steady rise in casualties in the past two weeks.
The PRCS President also visited the Jabaliya branch which was damaged during the Israeli indiscriminate shelling to the area.
From the Gaza Strip, Dr Al Khatib called for the protection of civilians and aid workers in accordance with international humanitarian law and called on the international community to help put pressure on the occupation authorities to stop attacks on civilian areas and health facilities, and to respect the Movement’s emblems and allow safer access for the PRCS team to enable them rescue the civilians.
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