PMRS West Bank team arrives in Gaza

Ramallah, 27/01/09: The President of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, today arrived in Gaza with two other PMRS doctors: Dr Mohamed Iskafi and Dr Mahmoud Braigeeth. The team left Ramallah early this morning, and made it through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Said Dr Barghouthi, "We are here to provide medical care to our fellow Palestinians in this appalling and difficult time. The 22-day Israeli military offensive left behind 1,337 dead (of whom 412 are children and 110 are women) and over 5,300 injured Gazans (of whom 1,855 are children and 795 are women). The majority of the casualties are civilians and 48% are children and women. The preliminary estimates show that at least 4,000 families are now homeless, and that 17,000 other residencies were partially destroyed. The emergency response should focus on the re-establishment of basic services, including water, food, cash assistance and education. But many of the injured will require long-term physical and psycho-social treatment and rehabilitation to even begin to cope with the trauma and pain caused by the attacks."

PMRS employs 70 medical professionals in Gaza, and we are joined in our efforts by hundreds of concerned volunteers.  

Dr Barghouthi stressed that "The world must not turn its back and forget about the horrendous massacre and suffering inflicted upon the Palestinians in Gaza. The destruction we have witnessed is beyond belief. The world must continue to show solidarity with the innocent civilians of Gaza, and stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their pain and grief."