28 December 2008

Israel Kills 250 In Gaza

Hardly any of the news broadcasts over the last two days mention the 6-month ceasefire by Hamas.

They hardly mention that wayward Hamas rockets, against a country with a world-class airforce and nuclear weapons, killed no one, and in response, 250 people get killed.

A few things to read:

- RandomPottins
- Madam Miaow
- Ewa Jasiewicz, in Red Pepper

Jasiewicz:
Doctors at Shifaa had to scramble together 10 makeshift operating theatres to deal with the wounded. The hospital’s maternity ward transformed their operating room into an emergency theatre. Shifaa only has 12 beds in their intensive care unit, they had to make space for 27 today.

These attacks come on top of existing conditions of humanitarian crisis: a lack of medicines, bread, flour, gas, electricity, fuel and freedom of movement. There is a shortage of medicine – over 105 key items are not in stock, and blood and spare generator parts are desperately needed. Shifaa’s main generator is the life support machine of the entire hospital. It’s the apparatus keeping the ventilators, monitors and lights turned and the injured alive.

Shifaa’s head of casualty department, Dr Maowiye Abu Hassanyeh explained, ‘We had over 300 injured in over 30 minutes. There were people on the floor of the operating theatre, in the reception area, in the corridors; we were sending patients to other hospitals. Not even the most advanced hospital in the world could cope with this number of casualties in such a short space of time’.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

(Hope you don't mind me posting this link)

A local point of view on the air strikes...
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2008/12/30/restaurant-owner-fears-for-family-in-middle-east-92746-22574130/

And this is One Voice, the movement Manal is supporting...
http://www.onevoicemovement.org/