Gaza Situation Updates 10/01/2009 till 11/01/2009 - from PRCS

Gaza Situation Updates 10/01/2009 till 11/01/2009
from PRCS
http://www.palestinercs.org/news_details.aspx?nid=107
http://www.palestinercs.org/

PALESTINE RED CRESCENT SOCIETY
This report covers the period of 10/01/2009 (09:00am) till 11/01/2009 (09:00am)

For the 15th consecutive day of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, PRCS is still at its highest level of alert in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

PRCS is deeply concerned over the continuous suffering of civilians particularly women and children who lost their human dignity by the current Israeli army aggression on Gaza strip.

"People in Gaza feel unsecure and displaced. The size of the aggression did not give any Palestinian the chance to think about his /her psychosocial needs. People are searching for a safe shelter and essential needs to stay alive". said Dr. Fathi Flefel, PRCS' director of psychosocial department.

The situation of victims in the affected area is getting more and more precarious. The PRCS EMS stations in Gaza strip receive tens of calls on a daily bases from people in the affected areas asking for help. PRCS condemns the Israeli army's continuous hampering of access of medical personnel and ambulances to casualties and targeting them.

Yesterday, at 16:00 pm, the Israeli soldiers opened fire at the PRCS medical teams who were trying to enter Al Atatra area searching for deaths and injuries. Fortunately no injuries were reported but one of the ambulances was partially damaged. The teams could not enter the area due to Israeli army obstacles and gunfire. It is worth mentioning that the PRCS medical teams proceeded to the area after the ICRC' coordination efforts succeeded to enter the area to evacuate the injuries and deaths. Also coordination was made by the ICRC to evacuate some casualties from Al- Zaytoon area but the medical teams could not enter.

Many wounded people were died as a result of not accessing urgent medical attention. Yesterday, a woman in labor form the northern part of Gaza city called the PRCS EMS station in Gaza to transport her to hospital. The medical teams could not proceed to that location due to the Israeli army heavy bombardments and gunfire.

The woman with the assistance of two of her sisters decided to proceed to the hospital on foot. On their way to the hospital the Israeli army targeted them and due to the inability of the medical teams to evacuate them after they were injured the three women passed away.
The health and environmental situation in Gaza Strip is alarming. Many dead bodies are still scattered in the streets and under the rubbles of the destroyed houses in most of the affected areas. The inability of the medical teams to evacuate the dead led to the decomposition of bodies, despite of all the ICRC coordination efforts.

Casualties :

PRCS remains extremely concerned over the Israeli army excessive use of force which flagrantly violates the principle of proportionality. A large number of civilians wounded and killed as a result of the heavy Israeli air strikes and indiscriminate bombardments all over the Gaza strip.

During the past 24 hours, the PRCS ambulances and medical teams were dispatched to tens of locations, where Israeli army conducted air strikes, land and see bombardments. According to PRCS records, 60 deaths and 162 injuries, including children, women and elderly, were transported by PRCS ambulances and medical teams.

Table of the total number of casualties:

Total number of Deaths 854
Children 275
Women 105
Men & Elderly 474

Total number of injuries 3570
Children 1250
Women 480
Men & Elderly 1840

Please note that the casualties' numbers above are not final since there any unknown number of casualties in areas that the medical teams could not enter till the moment.

Total number of deaths and injuries served by PRCS medical teams and ambulances:
Deaths 544
Injuries 1874

Situation in Gaza hospitals:

Gaza Strip hospitals and medical premises have suffered severe shortages of medical supplies over the past 18 months' blockade and are not equipped enough to receive mass casualties. Hospital Operating Rooms are overflowing, and running out of essential medicines. Hospitals and other medical facilities are also understaffed and not able to respond to the load of injuries. Hospitals were being overwhelmed with patients and were running out of space and supplies.

Palestine Red Crescent Intervention:

According to the PRCS EMS stations records, approximately 1874 persons and 544 fatalities were transported by the PRCS ambulances since the beginning of the military operation.

550 tons of medical and relief items as assistance from the Syrian Red Crescent society to the Palestinian people in Gaza strip was delivered through the Hashemite Jordanian committee.

PRCS assisted 80 Palestinians who left there homes in Tal Al Hawa area for safety.
PRCS ICU ambulances are assisting in transporting wounded cases from the strip to Rafah border.
Since the beginning of the Israeli offensive, around 200 PRCS volunteers, 60 medics and 120 medical staff were actively involved in providing emergency care in Gaza Strip.

PRCS' challenges:

PRCS evacuated some of its premises for safety reasons. During the early morning Israeli army conducted a military operation in Tal Al Hawa area near PRCS Al Quds hospital. The ambulances and the medical teams could not dispatched out of the EMS station for safety, in addition the PRCS central operations room was evacuated. Moreover, since eight days, PRCS EMS station in Jabaliya has been evacuated for safety reasons.
Although the PRCS is doing coordination with the ICRC to allow the ambulances and the medical teams to enter these locations to evacuate injuries and deaths, and to ensure their safety, PRCS ambulances and medical teams still have no access to the affected areas, which resulted in the death of several wounded.
PRCS faces a problem in the communication networks particularly in the northern part of Gaza Strip. In addition, PRCS EMS stations in Gaza faces the cut of telephone network, affecting the respond of the 101 to people's calls. An alternative line was organized, and the PRCS calls upon the people in Gaza city to contact the PRCS operations room in Gaza and PRCS Al Quds hospital if there is any emergency.

Urgent needs:

Medical Disposables and surgical kits
Medical First Aid Kits
Inter Agency Health Kits (WHO)
Hygiene and cleaning kits
Spare parts to the ambulances that received damage.
Repair and restore the damages of the PRCS premises.

READ MORE AT
>>Gaza Situation Updates 10/01/2009 till 11/01/2009
from PRCS
http://www.palestinercs.org/news_details.aspx?nid=107
http://www.palestinercs.org/