Gaza2009 - gaza2009

Shifa Hospital Visit

Today, Saturday we visited Shifa Hospital. It was very painful to see the suffering of these young people and children. For so many, their lives will be changed forever. Most of the children under ten years have been flown to Belgium and other countries-mostly those who have lost legs and/or arms and eyes.

The doctors told us how during the bombing there were so many serious casualties they had to tear the curtains off the windows and cover the injured people as they filled the halls. The doctors would go from person to person, sometimes unable to stop the bleeding. Blood and body parts were on the floor, "we didn't know who they belonged to."

A doctor asked me if I had seen the photos of the casualties. I said I had. He then replied, "What you saw is only a small bit of what we suffered. The world will never know what was done to us in these three weeks."

With the complicity of the media, the denial and lies of those who justify Israel's barbaric actions and with racist beliefs of those who don't value the lives of Palestinians-the doctor is right, the world will never know.

"The ugly face of Israel....We can not forget, we can not forgive" Dr. Iyad Sarraj, Psychiatrist.

We began the day Thursday moving from Rafah to Gaza City and documenting the destruction. We then visited Zeitoun today and spoke to the many families who have lost their homes, children, everything. Zeitoun suffered intense bombing and troop brutality. The area is a nightmare of cement, twisted iron, uprooted and crushed trees, burnt cars.... the families who escaped the attacks now live beneath make shift tents on what once was their home. There was a bombed chicken farm, the dead chickens were scattered everywhere and the smell of death was nauseating. Children, old people, crushed under the homes have been removed, but bloated bodies of donkeys and cows rot on the sides of the roads. Nothing of life was untouched. The Israelis tried to destroy anything and every thing that gives life.

Even the dead did not escape Israeli aggression.

Tanks busted through cemeteries and uprooted the graves, scattering the head stones. In Zeitoun, Twenty-five members of one family were killed. Israeli soldiers would not allow doctors to come into the neighborhood to help carry out the wounded who died slow deaths. Street dogs tried to eat some of the dead.

In Zeitun a soda factory was also bombed. Maybe sodas are weapons? The surrounding land in the area where produce was grown has been destroyed by tanks. There is no electricity or water in the Gaza Camps all the electric wires have been cut. Most of the trees have been destroyed and the people are gathering the wood for fires to keep warm and to cook with.

Massoda el Samoni lost three children and her her husband. She is three months pregnant. We found her sitting in the rubble of what once was her home with a ten month old who had been injured by shrapnel in his back. She pulled back his little t-shirt and showed us the stitched holes. Ms. El Samoni had shrapnel wounds in her upper chest.

"Over 50% of the severe casualties were women and children," Doctor at Al Awda Hospital

We visited Al Awada hospital in Jabaliya camp. The doctor, who spoke fluent English, explained to us that this hospital was a front-line hospital that received the injured from the area. Amputees and severely injured were transferred to Egypt and those who needed vascular surgery were transported to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. He explained that the injuries sustained are something he had not seen before. They are much more severe. There is something in the weapons (no one is sure what it is) that disturbs or alters the natural patterns in which the body responds to trauma. He called it "metabolic changes." People were injured by F-16 fighter jets, personnel missiles from helicopters and drones, tank fire and artillery fire. The Israeli army also dropped cluster bombs, especially in the North. The medical personnel could see them from the window overlooking the camp. "The cluster bombs looked like umbrellas opening with fire-one loud blast and then 20-50 other blasts" according to the head surgeon. Over 50% of the severe casualties were women and children.

Tomarrow we will visit Shifa Hospital.

Gaza Ruins and Palestinian Resilience

Barbara Lubin and I finally entered the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing with Egypt. We spent three days at the border trying to pass, until we were successful late Wednesday night. Because it was dark, we were advised not to travel, so we stayed with a wonderful family in Rafah, (Palestine). The family was without fuel to cook and only intermittent electricity. They were eager to tell us about the Israeli bombardment and especially how this assault terrified the children. They wanted to know what we, as people of the United States were doing in the face of Israeli brutality. One young daughter stated that seeing the world wide protests on TV gave them hope and made them feel that the world has not turned a blind eye. In the morning as we walked through a neighborhood on the border with Egypt the streets were filled with children. One-half of the population in Gaza is under the age of fifteen years old. Children and infants suffered disproportionately under the guns and bombs of the "moral" Israeli Army.

Stories of Israeli Terrorism:

Today we traveled north to Gaza City documenting the Israeli Army crimes and talking to people about their experiences and losses. It is clear that Israel has committed war crimes and has defied international humanitarian law. But who will hold them accountable for these crimes? 25,000 homes have been partially destroyed and five thousand completely destroyed. In Maghaqa Village sixty people (forty were children) were killed in one apartment complex.

In Zeitoun, east of Gaza City, thirty members of the Al-Samoun family were herded into one house and then the house was repeatedly shelled. In Jabalya Camp, Israeli soldiers entered in the home of Abed Rabo, looking for him. Since he was not home at the time, the Israeli soldiers killed his wife and five children instead.

These and many stories of horror and inhumanity have been widely reported by the press. However, the press in the United States does not print or report the whole story in an effort to sanitize, and thus legitimize Israeli actions. Watch the documentation of journalist Radjaa Abu Dagga that has been shown on Eurpopean and other TV stations around the world:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UVHai01Toag

Tomarrow we will visit Shifa Hosptial and then travel to Jabaliya, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun. From what we have witnessed so far, there is no doubt in our minds and in the minds of Palestinians, that the Israeli Army deliberately targeted homes, schools, government buildings, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in order to kill and destroy. But as we drove out of Rafah city today, we passed a market bustling with men, women and children buying what they can, with what they have. The resilience of the people is beyond words. But as one young Palestinian woman stated, "We want to live, we love life.... we will show the Israelis that they can not destroy us."

Mass Incarceration Leads to Mass Incineration

Years of mass incarceration of occupied Palestine by the Israeli colonial power has lead to the mass destruction of civilian infrastructure and 1000s of deaths and injuries. Historically Western colonial powers have used mass geographic incarceration of indigenous people's in an effort to control resistance to occupation. This oppression has never succeeded. We should listen to Mahmoud Darwish's wise words:

"My prison guard looks me in the eye/ I can see his fear/ Like me, he knows that/
today's warden is already tomorrow's prisoner."

Confirmed: One Half of Deaths and Injuries are Children and Women

The bombardment and attack on Gaza City and other towns and camps is being intensified. The Red Cross has confirmed that at least one half of all deaths and injuries are babies, children and women. This is an Israeli assault against the most vulnerable. The Israeli Army has deliberately targeted the UNRWA Headquarters, the Shifa Hospital, Al-Awda Hospital, and other institutions where 100s of families have sought shelter.

While the Bush government fades out and the Obama government is brought in with much fan fair, President-elect Obama continues his deadly silence over the carnage in Gaza, carried out by Israel with US tax paid weapons. Today and yesterday at the border, the bombing, especially at night, is without pause. The Minister of Interior, Mr. Siam was assassinated along with his wife and ten others who were with him when attacked by the Israeli Army. The main warehouse of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency was also hit and most of the food and supplies went up in flames. The killing and maiming continues.....over 5000 wounded and and over 1090 dead.

We visited our driver's family that lives just 100 metres from the Gaza border. Last night their windows were blown out and torn up as a result of the bombing. His daughter just gave birth to twins. I think about the Palestinian mothers inside Gaza giving birth beneath a sky lit up by burning white phosphorous and shattered by the ear-piercing sounds of bombs and artillery fire.

At the border we have met groups from Libya, Bahrain, Oman, Turkey, local Egyptians and many others all congregating at the border-like a People's United Nations. The spirit of solidarity is as strong and moving as their rage for what is happening in Gaza. We met a man whose family is from Gaza. He drove seven days without stopping from Oman to bring flour, olives and other goods for his family. He was not let in. He sleeps in his truck, with the hope that he will be able to bring aid to his family and ease their suffering.

No Time for Protests as Usual-Nor "Soft" Responses

This is not a time we can react with kid gloves in order to appease those who are offended by the truth and the reality of this horrific situation. This is neither about Israeli security, rockets

nor Hamas. The daily acts of terrorism by Israel against the Palestinian people, in the form of advanced and highly destructive weapons, in the context of sixty years of occupation seems to be forgotten as apologists speak of "crisis" and "Israeli security." The brutal oppression of Palestinians, the killing and torturing, has been going on for decades. Palestinians want an end to the occupation and the right to self-determination.

Today we visited injured Palestinian at the Palestine Hospital. There are several hundred injured Palestinians in Egypt, but many are being flown to other Arab countries. One of the head doctors told us that in the decades of Israeli attacks they have suffered, they have never seen this level of brutality by the Israeli Army. In addition, the weapons, according to this doctor, cause damage to the human body, especially the soft tissue and veins and arteries, that has never been seen before. These may be "experimental weapons" and given many are manufactured in the US, like the ones used in Iraq, they may be "trying them out," as the US did in Iraq.

On older man from Khan Yunis is to be operated on Sunday. He and twelve others were injured when a bomb hit their neighbors home. He has shrapnel in his stomach and pancreas. One woman we met has a shattered leg and hip-she is from Rafah. We also visited a young, 17-year-old man who is severely wounded. He is from Jabaliya. He couldn't speak, but as we entered the room he held out two fingers for us to shake. His eyes were bright and big, but his face was expressionless. I noticed his breathing was labored and irregular, but I couldn't distinguish his body under the hospital sheets. I noticed he had cuts all over his arms and had three fingers missing. We were then told that he had lost both legs at the hip and his behind was shattered. The explosion of the israeli bomb has also busted his ear drums so he could not hear us. I tried to wish him well-but my words sounded so empty as they fell from my mouth. If he survives these terrible wounds and losses to his body...so young. Like so many Palestinians, disproportionately children, babies and women, his suffering will continue "after the ceasefire."

Tomarrow we head for the border at Rafahn with several more doctors from Bahrain. This is a time when the "other" world, the one that believes in justice and human rights for all, must stand up and speak the truth and demand an end to the occupation, the right of return and most of all, the right for Palestinians to determine their own future, in freedom and dignity.

Solidarity and Resistance to Total Destruction

Tuesday night.

I'm writing in the dark and keep missing the keys on Barbara's computer. She is sleeping and I am determined to write before I forget most of these busy days. I feel like I have been here for weeks, not just four days. We have acquired an Ambulance equipped as a mobile intensive care

unit. Speed in medical response saves lives. This is one the ambulance that was requested. They have lost most of their ambulances due to break downs and because ambulances are targeted by the Israeli Army. Wheelchairs are also needed and we obtained 45 of them. Our contacts in Gaza have asked us to send powdered milk, water (6L bottles), small blankets and cereals. By tomarrow evening we will have all of this lined up and by Thursday we plan to be back in Rafah.

The Arab Doctors Union is helping us transport the aid and drive the ambulance. The coordination of solidarity is amazing. Everyone seems either to be involved directly or wants to assist in some way. We visit the warehouses where we purchase the goods and they donate additional amounts (for example: 5 extra wheelchairs, extra milk,etc.).

The five tons of medical aid from the Netherlands has not yet arrived because there was a change in the order as needs changed on the ground in Gaza. So we have decided to split up.

I will stay in Rafah and the border with Gaza and Barbara and Mona will return to Cairo to make sure the aid is loaded and driven out there. Then we will try to get it through.

When we said goodbye to the two doctors from Bahrain, one said to me, "Please pray for me."

They know that no one is safe and all are targets-but they go anyway to do what they can.

Four Days in Cairo and on the Border with Gaza

It has been four days now since we arrived in Cairo-18 days of killing and destruction by Israel-and the death toll in gaza rises with the rising sun each morning. The number (known) of injured is over 4,400 and over 970 men, women and children have been killed. This is not a war. This is the indiscriminate bombing, shooting, crushing with tanks, showering with napalms cousin, "white phosphorous," arresting and beating, and terrorizing of a completely incarcerated people. Families have no place to run from the death and pain that rains down from the skies, tears into the cities and towns, across fields and into the crowded refugee camps. Israeli tanks have now entered Gaza City from two directions-one of the most powerful armies in the world incinerating a people, weakened by almost two years of siege and sixty years of colonial occupation.

But you all know this, we all know this, and yet the Israelis, Western media and others lie about the reasons they are committing war crimes in Gaza. This is not about "Israeli security" or "rockets." Security and peace come with justice and self-determination. US Secretary of State "to-be" Clinton demands Hamas "recognize Israel and renounce violence." To the rest of the world this is an absurd statement. The violence perpetuated against Gaza by Israel lacks words to describe it. So many children and babies have been killed that they have to stack them in the morgue like so many battered little dolls, due to lack of space. They have requested "shrouds and body bags" from aid groups-they have run out and will need more as the world stands by. As for "recognition of Israel" what should be recognized: the occupation? the white phosphorous that burns into the body for hours? the illegal settlements? the theft of Palestinian water and land? the borders drawn by the illegal wall? the 1967 borders? What Israel? It has always been clear that Israel denies the right for Palestinians to exist.

As for our trip, we do what we can because we have no choice.

We arrived Thursday evening after several flight delays. Ibrahim's family members, Mansour and Salim met us at the airport, as did Dr. Mona (by the way she is the writer for "www.fromGazawithlove.com"). Dr. Mona's family is from Rafah, Gaza and have lived there for over 900 years. Mansour and Salim drove us to the hotel in Cairo.

Friday morning we headed out to Rafah and the Gaza border. Our driver, Sabit, is Palestinian, originally from Rafah, Palestine. He has lived in Cairo for 41 years. He is wonderful and we could not achieve all that we have without him.

The trip is about four hours one-way. That day, 50,000 had protested the attack on Gaza in Alexandria and several thousand attempted to cross the Suez and march toward Rafah. They were beaten back by riot police, who are really the Egyptian Army in riot gear. They were planted all along the road from Arish to Rafah in order to make sure no protesters were able to reach the border. There are four military checkpoints we has to pass through to reach Gaza. Our first stop was the town of Arish, about 10 miles from the Gaza border. As we pulled up a group of Saudi men were leaving. They had come to assist in the relief efforts. At the one main hotel in Arish, journalists, doctors from many countries, but especially Arab countries, and activists meet to discuss the situation, network and plan strategies. We met two surgeons from Bahrain who have been staying at the border for two weeks trying to get in. One of these doctors is also a human rights activist in his country. He told us how over 1/3 of the population is now without water because Israel bombed the water pipes and water lines that deliver the water, in two days the main hospital will be out of fuel needed for it's generators. The stories of need come like water as in the background, the news media reminds us of the new casualties. There is an urgency here. Every minute that goes by means more pain and death.

We spent some time with people in Arish and then continued on to Rafah. As we arrived we saw large lorries loaded with food and other aid lined along the right side of the road. There was a group of people, some with vests identifying their country or organization, crowded around the one metal door that is the first opening into Gaza. A group of about 12 doctors from Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and Italy who had been waiting several weeks at the border to offer their medical services to the people in Gaza were being let in. Several journalists followed them through the first gate until they reached the other size and then were turned back. Israel is not allowing international journalists into Gaza.

As we spoke with journalists from Poland, Italy and others, Israel began bombing Rafah which is situated to our left (you can see "Israel" on the right). First you can see the Israeli drones in the sky (MK's). Then they attack from thousands of feet in the air. The ground shook and the sound hurts the ears. We see the smoke rising from the bombs, followed by a rocket from Palestinian resistance. I took a photo of the rocket (I was told it was a "grad" rocket or one that can travel longer distance), but you can't see it in the photo because it is too small.

The bombing continues and the Egyptian Army comes out to tell us to leave-"for our own safety." As I walk away, Egyptian children race around asking for me to take their photo. They seem to ignore the bombing.

We stay in Rafah until it is dark. The lorries, unable to enter, turn slowly around and head back to Arish, again. Several families with pick up trucks loaded with blankets, food and other basics approach the border. People extending a hand and giving what they can to their brothers and sisters inside the walls that separate them. They are ordered to retreat by the Egyptian Army and they disappear down the now darkened road to Arish.

We begin our trip back to Cairo, as it is our goal to acquire, load and transport that which has been requested by various medical and social organizations inside Gaza. "Aid" is not about sending whatever is available. It is both a humanitarian and political act of solidarity and survival. But only aid that is requested by those who know what they need should be sent. We have found out that some aid groups are sending materials that are not needed. We don't have the time for this. Before leaving I received two calls: one from radio station in Argentina and one from Chile. The interviews went well but my Spanish, when dealing with military issues needs some work......

Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday-Long Days of "Aid work"

I' ve never been involved directly in acquiring material aid. It is a frustrating, tiring and at times maddening process. But after four days of Cairo traffic, long office visits and too many phone calls we have been quite successful. In between tasks, Mona, Barbara and I swap stories and experiences over the years in Palestine, Iraq, Central America and other areas one or the other has been involved in. As we talk, Mona's phone rings-another call from the depths of horror in Gaza-"they are bombing again-from the air, from the sea; I've lost my neighbor, my cousin, my child" The stories stop time and hurt the heart. One man called and told us about his neighbor, a 70 year-old man. He is terrified. He was sitting on his step, awaiting another night of missiles. Then he suddenly jumps up and tells his friend, "I must leave, excuse me, I may die tonight so I have to go and make love to my wife." And off he went.

Weather

Recent pictures

2009-01-16

Three year old boy wounded by shrapnel in his stomach
This boy's liver was also damaged. He will need medical treatments the rest of his life. His home was bombed.

Ahmed, a 16 year old boy severely wounded
This young boy was hit by a personnel missile when he left his house to look for water.

Ahmed needs to be transferred out of Gaza
His wounds are not healing and he needs specialized care. Barbara and I are trying to have him transferred to Egypt.

He tells the doctor he is in a lot of pain

Dr. Sarraj, psychiatrist, estimates at least 50% of children will develop PTSD
"They are traumatized by the Israeli assaults and the bombs, the sound of explosions and the fear they witnessed in their parents."

Family member searches for anything that can be salvaged

Israelis target ambulances

Child attempting to salvage what is left of his home

Bombed elementary school

Pregnant mother and wounded infant outside her bombed out home

Kitchen destroyed by missile

Children amongst the rubble of their home

No life was spared the attack
Chicken factory bombed

Israeli Army targeted all that brought life and joy to the people
The deliberate targeting of schools, pharmacies, chicken farms, factories and hospitals was a deliberate attack on all that surrounds and gives life.

Home of Dr. Masoud, dermatologist

Missiles tore through homes, from the sides and roofs

Families set up make shift shelters outside the rubble of their home

More destruction

Parts of the killing machines

Destruction of anything that gives life
Dairy cow killed in attack

Cemetery destroyed by tanks in Beit Lahia
The graves were opened and headstones broken

Another and another, home after home, destroyed by missiles

Homes Demolished by Israeli Bombing

Graveyard Destroyed in Gaza City

Child perched upon what once was his home in Gaza City

Water purification systems donated by MECA

Gaza in Ruins

Al Quds Hospital bombed by Israeli Forces
There were 300 injured in the hospital when it was bombed.

MECA Ambulance donation to Al Awda Hospital

MECA Ambulance/Mobile ICU

MECA Ambulance travels through Rafah border

Gaza Map
We will enter from the south at the Rafah "Terminal" as it is called. We plan to travel north toward Jabiliya Camp northeast of Gaza City.

Crayons and Paper for Children
Doctors have emphasized the psycho-social impact of Israeli acts of terrorism on Palestinian children in the wake of the military assault. MECA's partners in Gaza, who work with children, requested crayons, colored pencils, paper and coloring books as part of the effort to address the needs of children.

Barbara Inspecting Powdered Milk
Two tons of powdered milk is prepared at the warehouse in Cairo. It will leave to Gaza on Monday.

Packaging Powdered Milk

Loading Powdered Milk

Barbara Lubin with Aid to Gaza
In total, 4.7 tons of medicine, 45 wheel chairs, 2 tons of powdered milk and cereal,and an ICU equipped ambulance will be taken into Gaza next week.

Medicines bound for Gaza
All medicine and the ambulance enters through the Rafah entrance, whereas foods will enter from another entrance, about ten kilometers from the Rafah border.

Entering Through Rafah
Barbara and I will accompany the ambulance into Gaza Monday. Dr. Mona will remain in Cairo.

2009-01-10

Large Generator in Line at Rafah
Trucks from countries across the Middle East are lining up to bring in much needed aid.

MECA ambulance moving across the Rafah border

Bombing of Rafah
Israeli Army bombed Rafah and other parts of Gaza continuously again last night. There is no safe place.

Inside of MECA ambulance, ICU upgrade

Egyptian Riot Police
Demonstration today was dispersed by riot police

Riot cops in full gear
There was an attempt at a protest in Arish today but it was quickly dispersed by the riot police.

Kathy Kelly, Formerly Voices in the Wilderness
Kathy Kelly and ten other US Citizens, seven French and three English journalists attempted entry into Gaza today, Friday.

Trucks Waiting to Bring Aid into Gaza
At least a mile long.

Trucks and More Trucks
Many of the trucks are draped with words of protest and support.

Ambulances at Rafah border
According to the Ministry of Health, over 5000 are injured.

Transporting the wounded

Ambulances raced in and out of Gaza yesterday and through the night. The injured are triaged at Arish Hospital and then transported to other hospitals in Egypt.

Ambassador to Venezuela
The Ambassador brought several large trucks with medical supplies and made statements of solidarity with Gaza.

Venezuelan Solidarity
We thanked him for expelling the Israeli consulate.

Unofficial Aid Being Loaded
Today, Friday, there was at least a mile of trucks loaded with medical supplies, hospital beds and even a very large generator, waiting to get in...

More People to People Solidarity

Egyptian Riot Police at Rafah
They are everywhere, but especially along the road to Rafah.

More People to People Solidarity

Doctors from Jordan
Four Jordanian doctors are waiting to get in at the border.

Visit to Palestine Hospital
Wounded Palestinians

Hospital entrance
3

Injured Palestinian woman with Mona and Barbara

Palestinian with shrapnel in stomach and pancreas

Young man severely wounded
This young man lost both legs at the hip, his buttocks are destroyed and he has lost his hearing due to the bombing by Israel, courtesy of our tax dollars. He is 17 years old.

Acquiring children's cereal

Egyptian Army/"security forces"
Around the city of Cairo are these green metal trucks with soldiers ready to subdue any attempts by protesters to rally/march

Egyptian Army in Cairo

Wheelchairs confirmed
45 wheelchairs are being moved to the Arab Doctor's Union where they will be loaded onto trucks

Milk and Water
Acquiring milk and water-both in need in Gaza

For the Children
Acquiring colored pencils, paper, crayons and books for the children, traumatized in Gaza

Dr. El Sayyed of Arab Medical Union
Dr. Elsayyed will help us obtain an ambulance and transport medical supplies and food through border

Blankets to Gaza
Preparing to send 500 blankets

Discussing details with warehouse owner

Israeli drones drop leaflets
Leaflets warn Palestinians to leave...to where? There is no place to go but the sea.

Supplies
Barbara Lubin Dir. of MECA and Dr. Al Farrah inspect wheel chairs bound for Gaza

Arab Doctor's Union Entrance
Appeals for help

Egyptian's bring aid to border
Turned away, again

Arab Doctor's Union Entrance
Appeals for Gaza

Mona and Barbara with Doctors from Bahrain
On the Gaza border

Barbara with Doctors
The surgeons got into Gaza today, Tuesday.

Watching and photographing Doctors who got in

Trucks waiting to bring aid into Gaza

Solidarity Ambulance
Waiting to get in

Doctors who got into Gaza
Much needed relief for exhausted doctors inside

Egyptian children near Rafah border

Israeli War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity: Who will standup and hold them accountable?

15 January 2009, 1900 hours

"The Red Cross is not managing to coordinate evacuation of wounded people. There are people right next to the Red Crescent hospital bleeding to death. We cannot get to them as the Israelis shoot at us." (Palestinian medic)

“Today the UN compound in Gaza has been shelled again. I conveyed my strong protest and outrage to the Defense Minister and to the Foreign Minister... The time has come for the violence to stop and for us to change fundamentally the dynamics in Gaza .” (United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon)

January the fifteenth witnessed the most intense fighting to date, with Israeli ground forces advancing deeper into densely populated areas, particularly Gaza City with an estimated population of 500,000 people. Since the morning of 15 January, relentless shelling of the Gaza Strip has struck a number of buildings, among them the main UNRWA compound in Gaza City and three hospitals.

Large numbers of civilians are trapped in their homes while thousands more are seeking refuge with host families and in UNRWA emergency shelters. There are no safe places or bomb shelters within the Gaza Strip and the borders remain closed. Security for medical personnel and access to medical facilities remains extremely difficult.

Following a year and a half of blockade and almost three weeks of intense bombardment by land, sea and air, the Gaza Strip is witnessing a devastating humanitarian crisis. The casualty rate is rapidly rising; extensive damage has been incurred to public infrastructure and homes; and water, sanitation and electricity services are barely functioning. Supplies of essential commodities such as food, cooking gas, water and fuel are diminishing and increasingly hard to obtain. Children, who make up 56 percent of the Gaza population, continue to bear the brunt of the violence and account for a significant proportion of the dead and severely maimed.

Protection of Civilians

The Israeli army remains present in the north, east and Rafah border areas. Aerial bombardment, artillery shelling and naval firing continued throughout 14 January, in particular in the Zaitoun, Tuffah, eastern Gaza and other suburbs of Gaza City . The Al-Arqam private school in Gaza City was shelled, as was the Sheikh Radwan cemetery, destroying many of the graves.

The fighting intensified in the morning of 15 January, with Israeli forces advancing deeper into Gaza City from all sides. Residential buildings, high rise buildings, three hospitals and the UNRWA compound were among the buildings hit.

As of 14 January, UNRWA was hosting 39,669 displaced Palestinians in 41 emergency shelters in Gaza , most of them in the Gaza Governorate (17 shelters with 13,884 IDPs) and in North Gaza (13 shelters with 16,282 IDPs).

Medical Facilities

The Al Wafa Hospital east of Gaza City (the only rehabilitation hospital in the Gaza Strip), Al Fata Hospital west of Gaza City, and Al Quds Hospital were directly hit by the Israeli army. One Al Fata Hospital ambulance and two Al Quds Hospital ambulances were hit.

Around 0530 hours, at least 500 people living in Tel el Hawa sought refuge at the Al Quds Palestinian Red Crescent Society Hospital. From 1030 hours, shelling struck the administrative building and damaged the second floor of the hospital. A fire broke out, putting at risk the patients, staff and displaced persons in the hospital. The fire was eventually extinguished at around 1400 hours. As people were leaving the hospital, one fatality and four injuries were reported due to fighting in the area. At about 1800 hours, the 500 displaced people were evacuated to an UNRWA emergency shelter.

UNRWA Main Compound

At approximately 1000 hours, Israeli shells struck the main UNRWA compound, injuring three persons. The shells caused a fire that destroyed a workshop and the main warehouse which housed hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian supplies, including those due to be distributed today, 15 January. Approximately 700 Palestinians were taking refuge in the compound at the time of the incident; they were eventually evacuated to a nearby emergency shelter.

Media Building

At approximately 0900 hours on 15 January, following intensification of shelling in the neighbourhood, journalists in Gaza City took refuge in the Al Shurouq Tower which houses the main offices and studios of various local and international media outlets. Despite assurances by the Israeli army that the building was not a target, the 13th storey of the building was struck by a shell at approximately 1115 hours. Two journalists from Abu Dhabi TV were injured. The explosion caused a fire which damaged transmission facilities.

Casualties

Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) figures as of 1600 hours 15 January are 1,086 Palestinians dead, of whom 346 are children and 79 are women. The number of injured stands at 4,900, of whom 1,709 are children and 724 are women. The danger to medical staff and the difficulty of extracting the injured from collapsed buildings makes proper evacuation and estimation of casualties difficult, including the determination of the number of Palestinian male civilian casualties.

From 1600 hours on 14 January until 1600 hours on 15 January, a total of 73 Palestinians were killed, of whom 24 were children, and 340 were injured, of whom 109 were children.

Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed since 27 December. Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets and mortars from the Gaza Strip into Israel . According to the Magen David Adom, the national society of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, Israeli civilian casualties stand at four dead and 78 injured since 27 December.

OCHA’s casualty figures do not include the number of Palestinians or Israelis treated for shock.

Priority Needs

Ceasefire: While any mechanism that facilitates humanitarian assistance is welcome, only an immediate ceasefire will be able to address the severe humanitarian and protection crisis that the population of Gaza is faced with.

Protection of Civilians: Civilians, notably children who form 56 percent of Gaza ’s population, are bearing the brunt of the violence. As one of the most densely populated places in the world, more civilians risk being killed or injured if the conflict continues. The parties to conflict must respect the norms of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), in particular the principles of distinction and proportionality.

Access for ambulance and rescue teams: An unknown number of dead, injured and trapped people remain in houses which have been shelled and in areas where hostilities are ongoing. Due to attacks on ambulances, medical staff are fearful of reaching these places. The evacuation of wounded and safe passage of ambulances and health workers are fundamental tenants of IHL, and should be facilitated at all times. This includes the safe passage for evacuation of injured through Rafah crossing.