(Thursday-24/7/2014): Upon arriving in the Gaza Strip on Sunday July 20th, PRCS’ President Dr. Younis Al Khatib visited Palestinians wounded during the Al Shajaiya massacre and treated in various hospitals, especially Al Shifa’ Public hospital. He perused the work of PRCS’ staff and volunteers, mainly EMTs and ambulance teams, and witnessed firsthand the difficult humanitarian conditions of affected populations. At the end of his four-day visit, Dr. Al Khatib met with PRCS’ staff in the Gaza Strip. He urged them to double their efforts to heal the wounds of and provide emergency assistance to wounded and displaced Palestinians, especially in Al Shajaiya.
Dr. Al Khatib toured PRCS’ branches and EMS centers as well as the Society’s Central Operations Room which follows up on emergency and relief operations in the Gaza Strip. He was briefed about the work of Emergency Medical Services, evacuation processes and medical transport operations. Al Khatib also visited PRCS’ Al Quds hospital in Gaza City and PRCS’ Al Amal hospital in Khan Younes where he closely observed the medical treatment and care provided to the wounded. He then went to Al Shifa’ Public Hospital in Gaza City, where he called on tens of wounded Palestinians.
During the humanitarian truce, Dr. Al Khatib, accompanied by several PRCS’ employees and ICRC representatives, visited Al Shajaiya neighborhood where they helped remove bodies, transport the wounded and rescue civilians from under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The neighborhood had been destroyed earlier following a series of Israeli strikes. Al Khatib also visited PRCS’ headquarters in Jabalia where buildings and ambulances were severely damaged following an Israeli bombing. Several EMTs had been wounded while the premises and medical equipment sustained large-scale damage.
Al Khatib said that his visit to the Gaza Strip aimed at inspecting the health, humanitarian and relief work of PRCS’ teams as well as at seeing at firsthand the impact of the Israeli attack against Palestinian civilians. He offered his condolences to families who have lost loved ones and wished a speedy recovery to injured Palestinians. Al Khatib called for an end to this continuous attack against civilians and for EMS and relief teams to be allowed to evacuate the wounded from areas besieged by occupation forces. He urged the International Community to oblige Israel to respect international conventions which ban the targeting of health and emergency service providers, to put an end to this attack and to the hindering of PRCS’ work, and to respect the PRCS’ emblem as stipulated by IHL clauses.
Al Khatib took part in a workshop organized by OCHA in Gaza together with several foreign partners and representatives from community, health and aid organizations. The workshop aimed at looking into humanitarian conditions in the Strip amidst Israel’s continuous attack. Participants discussed the most urgent needs of affected populations, relief and emergency operations by PRCS’ teams and the key obstacles they face, mainly the targeting of their premises and vehicles and the deliberate delaying of coordination processes to hinder teams from reaching affected and besieged families.
Al Khatib also visited PRCS/Rafah and its EMS center where he met with paramedics and listened to their needs. He thanked them for the help they have provided to thousands of Palestinians. Al Khatib then chaired a PRCS’ delegation which visited the family of PRCS’ paramedic Saleh Mouamar in Rafah. Saleh lost three brothers when an Israeli shell hit the family home.
Al Khatib also visited the Society’s EMS center in Khan Younes to check on the team of paramedics whose ambulance was targeted by occupation forces.
Alongside PRCS’ teams, Al Khatib helped evacuate the wounded from Al Aqsa hospital in Deir el Balah which was also bombed.
Al Khatib then inspected for a second time the PRCS’ EMS center in Jabalia to check on the team which was targeted in Beit Hanoun. Four PRCS’ ambulances and their teams were targeted by occupation forces as they were providing assistance to affected populations in the area. He then went to Al Awdeh hospital which was also shelled and sustained severe damage. He discussed with hospital officials the potential help that can be provided by PRCS’.
Al Khatib also visited the Jordanian military hospital in Gaza. He met with the administrators of the mission running the hospital and discussed with them strengthening cooperation between the two bodies and means to face the health consequences of the continuous attack on the Gaza Strip.
Al Khatib helped distribute urgent aid to thousands of displaced Palestinians now living in UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip.
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