Contrary to the testimony of the Coordinator of Activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories, who claimed that “the population in Gaza is not starving and it is receiving everything required for basic existence:” 80 % of the population of the Gaza Strip is relying on humanitarian aid from UN agencies *** 95% of the water in the Gaza Strip is not safe for drinking *** The 56 medical facilities damaged in Operation Cast Lead have not yet been repaired *** A shortage of medicines and medical equipment
“About 61 percent of the civilian population are unable to obtain or purchase independently the minimum foodstuffs required for themselves and their families,” Ran Yaron, Director of the Occupied Palestinian Territory Department at Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel), has written today to the Turkel Commission on the Flotilla Raid.
The report sent by PHR-Israel at the Commission’s request presents grave data concerning the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip:
The percentage of those suffering from food insecurity is increasing from year to year (41% in 2003, 53% in 2006, 56% in 2008) and approximately 81% of the civilian population is now relying on humanitarian aid from United Nations agencies. These high figures are an outcome of high rates of unemployment, with the percentage of unemployed having increased during the past three years by more than 40%.
The report also shows the percentage of children suffering from growth deficiencies (subnormal weight and height, the relation between height, weight and age) increased in Gaza by 150% from 2007 to 2009.
Between 90% and 95% of the water in the aquifers in the Gaza Strip is not safe to drink, in part because of the severe restrictions Israel is imposing on the entry of replacement parts to repair the water and sewage infrastructures, which were damaged in Operation Cast Lead.
“This shortage has meant that during long periods after the war in Gaza nearly 1 million of the inhabitants had no regular access to running water in their homes,” states the report. The report also states that irregularities in the water supply continue to this day.
The report notes that prior to the flotilla incident, there was a constant shortage of medications and medical equipment in Gaza. Between September of 2009 and May of 2010, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported there was a shortage of an average of 100 types of medicines and hundreds of types of medical supplies each month. Severe shortages were found mainly in medications for cancer and cystic fibrosis patients, respiratory equipment, dialysis materials, medical baby formula, and medications for epileptics, hemophilia and anemia.
Following the flotilla there has been an improvement in this area but the prohibition remains in effect on bringing into Gaza certain types of medical equipment the Israelis claim have dual use for both military and medical purposes, among others X-ray machines/materials, radioactive materials for radiotherapy and PET-CT scans for cancer patients, and equipment with eyepieces for surgery and catheterization.
Most of the 56 medical facilities (15 hospitals and 41 clinics) damaged in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead have not yet been restored to good working order. “The restrictions Israel is imposing on the entry of building materials, cement, glass and replacement parts are making it difficult for the Palestinian system to rebuild the damaged hospitals and clinics,” states the report.
From the data in the PHR-Israel report to the Turkel Commission, it emerges that since the events of the flotilla, there has been a fivefold increase in the number of patients from Gaza the Israelis have denied permission to leave for medical treatment in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. The applications of 569 patients were denied between the months of May and August 2010, as compared to only 112 applications denied in the first third of 2010.
Summary
http://www.phr.org.il/default.asp?PageID=190&ItemID=873
Main Points
http://www.phr.org.il/uploaded/Turkel%20briefing_1.pdf
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