Israeli army accused of obstructing medical access to civilians
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《英国医生杂志》
M閐ecins Sans Fronti鑢es (MSF) has accused the Israeli army of obstructing medical access to civilians in the Rafah refugee camp, occupied since last week by Israeli forces.
Nasira Butin, local medical coordinator for the charity, said: "Our teams have experienced enormous problems in reaching health centres and parts of town that have come under attack. There seems to be hardly any coordination among the Israeli authorities on the ground, and our teams, though officially authorised to travel, are having guns pointed at them and their path blocked by tanks.
"I myself was with a group that was shot at, in a tent where we were holding a clinic. The only people there were MSF workers and mothers and their children. Our car was outside, clearly marked, and we had the flag showing. Bullets started coming through the tent and we all lay on the ground. I telephoned the IDF and the fire stopped immediately. The army told us we could leave, but said once we were gone they would continue to fire on the Palestinians."
Dr Butin said that MSF has had almost no access to the Brazil and As-Salam districts of Rafah since last week. "Our logistician left this morning taking medical supplies, and we抳e just learned that he抯 been turned back at a checkpoint." She added that other medical workers faced similar problems, citing the case of a Red Crescent ambulance rammed and overturned by a tank.
Medical supplies are adequate, she said, but potable water is not regularly available. The main problem is accessing and extracting people trapped in their homes. "Often, we simply can抰 get out of the ambulance without being shot at. We feel powerless. The population is starting to blame us, saying we always arrive when it抯 too late, when people are already dead. Yesterday some of our people had stones thrown at them."
Hundreds of homes were destroyed and at least 43 Palestinians killed during Israeli incursions into the refugee camp on the Egyptian border. In the most serious incident, 10 demonstrators, mostly children, were killed when tank shells were fired into a crowd protesting at the incursion.
Israel said the raid was essential to uncover tunnels used by militants for smuggling weapons from Egypt. But as the BMJ went to press, only one tunnel had been found.
Shuli Davidovich of the Israeli embassy in London said that Israel had done everything in its power to facilitate the work of medical and humanitarian organisations. "We make sure that the people always have access to medical care. We also helped fix the water supply." She said that Israel offered medical treatment to people seriously wounded at the demonstration.(London Owen Dyer)
Nasira Butin, local medical coordinator for the charity, said: "Our teams have experienced enormous problems in reaching health centres and parts of town that have come under attack. There seems to be hardly any coordination among the Israeli authorities on the ground, and our teams, though officially authorised to travel, are having guns pointed at them and their path blocked by tanks.
"I myself was with a group that was shot at, in a tent where we were holding a clinic. The only people there were MSF workers and mothers and their children. Our car was outside, clearly marked, and we had the flag showing. Bullets started coming through the tent and we all lay on the ground. I telephoned the IDF and the fire stopped immediately. The army told us we could leave, but said once we were gone they would continue to fire on the Palestinians."
Dr Butin said that MSF has had almost no access to the Brazil and As-Salam districts of Rafah since last week. "Our logistician left this morning taking medical supplies, and we抳e just learned that he抯 been turned back at a checkpoint." She added that other medical workers faced similar problems, citing the case of a Red Crescent ambulance rammed and overturned by a tank.
Medical supplies are adequate, she said, but potable water is not regularly available. The main problem is accessing and extracting people trapped in their homes. "Often, we simply can抰 get out of the ambulance without being shot at. We feel powerless. The population is starting to blame us, saying we always arrive when it抯 too late, when people are already dead. Yesterday some of our people had stones thrown at them."
Hundreds of homes were destroyed and at least 43 Palestinians killed during Israeli incursions into the refugee camp on the Egyptian border. In the most serious incident, 10 demonstrators, mostly children, were killed when tank shells were fired into a crowd protesting at the incursion.
Israel said the raid was essential to uncover tunnels used by militants for smuggling weapons from Egypt. But as the BMJ went to press, only one tunnel had been found.
Shuli Davidovich of the Israeli embassy in London said that Israel had done everything in its power to facilitate the work of medical and humanitarian organisations. "We make sure that the people always have access to medical care. We also helped fix the water supply." She said that Israel offered medical treatment to people seriously wounded at the demonstration.(London Owen Dyer)