Monday, March 3, 2008

Medical group warns Gaza health system on brink of collapse

The following report was issued by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel on 2 March 2008

"Israeli military forces commenced widespread operations against Gaza on 27 February 2008, following the death of an Israeli civilian in a college campus in the south of Israel, and damage caused by a Qassam rocket to a hospital campus in the town of Ashqelon. As a result of these operations 101 Palestinians (according to Palestinian counts), the majority of whom were civilians, have been killed. Two Israeli soldiers have also been killed. This number of casualties is the highest since the start of the second intifada in 2000.

As early as Wednesday at 10:30pm, Israeli forces shelled the compound of the Ministry of Interior. As a result two civilian structures were severely damaged: the Palestinian Medical Relief Society office and dispensary, including its Mobile Clinic vehicle, and the offices of Palestinian human rights organization Al Mezan. Both organizations are long-term partners of PHR-Israel and have provided for the rights of Palestinian patients and civilians for many years. Seven-month-old baby Mohammad al-Bor'i was killed in the same attack when his home, adjacent to the compound, collapsed on top of him.

Following a weekend of continuous air strikes, shellings and limited land strikes, hospitals in Gaza are now finding it almost impossible to function due to massive overload of injured people continuing to arrive for admission today, and since last Wednesday, 27 February 2008......"

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