This report covers the period of 14/01/2009 (09:00am) till 15/01/2009 (09:00am)
For the 19th consecutive day of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, PRCS is still at its highest level of alert in the occupied Gaza strip. Gaza city and Northern parts of Gaza strip remain isolated from the rest of the strip. The humanitarian crisis is intensifying and the number of Palestinian civilian casualties is increasing.
Today, the Israeli army bombarded PRCS premises in its Al Nur medical center, which includes Al Quds hospital, the EMS station, the ware houses, the administrative building and other premises.
The bombs which might be phosphorous one hit Al Quds hospital. As a result the fire breaks out in the pharmacy and the nurses' room. Fortunately no injuries were reported. Its worth mentioning that 500 people are inside the hospital. The PRCS staff and volunteers in the hospital evacuated the sick and the injuries and their families to the ground floor for safety.
More over the bombs hit the administrative building which consists of 11 floors, as a result the whole building is on fire. The fire spread to the next building which consists of the theatre, the halls and the hotel.
The civil defense could not enter the area to put out the fire due to the Israeli army's obstacles and its heavy gunfire.
The ICRC is doing the coordination to enter the area with the civil defense and to evacuate the people inside.
PRCS remains extremely concerned over the civilians' casualties, particularly the children, who constitute 56% of the Gaza population. The civilians in Gaza lost their protection and human dignity by the current Israeli army aggression on Gaza strip and its excessive use of force which flagrantly violate the principle of proportionality.
According to MOH statistics:
• 32% of the deaths are children.
• 10% of the deaths are women.
• 36% of the injuries are children.
• 15% of the injuries are women.
Table of the total number of casualties:
| Total number of Deaths | Children | Women | Men & Elderly | Medical Personnel |
| 1040 | 310 | 110 | 607 | 13 |
| Total number of injuries |
|
|
|
|
| 4850 | 1740 | 720 | 2366 | 24 |
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:
Number of deaths and injuries transported by PRCS medical teams during the past 24 hours:
According to PRCS records 17 Palestinians died yesterday from previous injuries.
PRCS is also concerned over the rising number of people who are seeking refuge. OCHA says that the total number of displaced people in Gaza remains unknown, because the majority of them have sought refuge in the homes of relatives and friends, including an estimated 20,000 people who reportedly left their homes in Rafah on 8 January. According to UNRWA sources, the agency received more than 38,000 people in 41 emergency shelters.
Palestinian women cook over wood-burning fire in Gaza.
The health and environmental situation in Gaza Strip is alarming. Many wounded people are dying as a result of not accessing urgent medical attention. 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 due to the fact that the medical teams are not able to enter these areas, despite ICRC coordination.
Palestine Red Crescent Intervention:According to the PRCS EMS stations records, approximately 2358 injuries and 673 fatalities were transported by the PRCS ambulances since the beginning of the military operation.
It is worth mentioning that out of 140 coordination requests to enter the affected areas to transport injuries, sick and women in labor, only eight coordination cases were succeeded.
Yesterday, PRCS entered Al Zaytoon and Ezbet Abed Rabo areas after coordination was made by the ICRC. The PRCS teams evacuated 36 civilians from Al Zaytoon area and 80 others from Ezbet Abed Rabo area. Moreover, PRCS coordinated with UNRWA to assist 36 families who left their homes for safety reasons and distributed blankets, hygiene kits and water to them.
Yesterday, PRCS distributed 240 water family kits, 3700 bottles of water, 246 blankets, 59 Mattress to Palestinian families who left their homes for safety reasons.
Three PRCS ICU ambulances were allocated to assist in transporting wounded cases from the hospitals to the Rafah border.
PRCS volunteer distributes humanitarian assistances.
Situation in Gaza hospitals: All Gaza hospitals continue to partially work on back-up generators. According to ICRC sources most of the hospitals in Gaza Strip, though, continue to run on generators 24 hours a day to keep life-saving equipment operating around the clock. Al Shifa Hospital is running low on fuel, putting patients at risk, including those who are taken care of at the intensive care units.
Gaza Strip hospitals and medical premises suffer severe shortages of medical supplies 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.
PRCS' challenges:Today, PRCS Al Nur city was bombarded by the Israeli army, huge damage was reported in most of its premises, which will affect the function of the whole services.
PRCS evacuated some of its premises for safety reasons. Since 13 days, PRCS EMS station in Jabaliya has been evacuated for safety reasons.
Yesterday, PRCS evacuated the its ambulances in EMS station in Tel Al Hawa area and sent it to Al Shifa Hospital. Only the dispatch remains in the station.
Although PRCS is doing all necessary coordination through ICRC to allow the ambulances and the medical teams access some locations, but access is still viewed to be a major bearer, which is believed to cause more deaths.
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: PRCS medical facilities in Gaza Strip need disposables, medicine, medical equipments, Humanitarian aid, relief items, food, water, fuel etc…for more information on the PRCS urgent needs please see the Preliminary PRCS Emergency Appeal 2009- Gaza Strip at the following link:
http://www.palestinercs.org/Reports/PRCSPreliminaryEmergencyAppeal2009GazaStrip.pdf
Donate to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza:PRCS launched Gaza emergency appeal 2009 that could be access through PRCS website www.palestinercs.org
Direct donations could be done through Palestine red crescent special account number 9090- 652753/513 - Arab Bank - Ramallah Al Balad Branch, Swift No. ARABPS 22090 - Correspondent Bank: CREDIT SUISSE
(HEAD OFFICE) - ZURICH CH - SWIFT CODE: CRESCHZZ80A
OUR USD ACC. # 0835080431314780
THROUGH: AMERICAN EXPRESS
SWIFT CODE: AEIBUS33 - ROUTING # 026001591
Or
Donate online through special account at Map Canada You can donate on line by clicking on the link http://www.mapcan.org/english.html and click on ‘’donations’’, then select the button donate now of ‘’Canadahelps’’
Select ‘’Medical aid for Palestine’’, then ‘’ Emergency Campaign for Gaza’’for the fund designation and finally write for PRCS in the note section..
HQ Location: PRCS
