Saturday 7 October saw a new outbreak of violence in Palestine and Israel. Hamas launched a large-scale surprise attack on Israel, which responded by bombing the Gaza Strip. Viva Salud calls on the United Nations to protect civilians and put an end to the violence by tackling its root causes: Israeli colonisation, illegal occupation and apartheid.
Further escalation of violence
The morning of Saturday 7 October marked the start of a new escalation of violence in the 75-year-old Israeli colonisation of Palestine. Hamas launched a surprise large-scale military attack against southern Israel, killing and injuring hundreds of Israeli civilians.
In retaliation, Israel began bombing Gaza indiscriminately from the air, land and sea. Residential areas and apartment blocks have not been spared. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, these bombardments have already killed nearly 500 Palestinian civilians. According to the United Nations, Israeli air strikes in Gaza have displaced 123,000 Palestinians⸱ne⸱s.
Our partner, AWDA (Al Awda Health and Community Association, formerly known as UHWC), works on the front line with two hospitals and six primary health centres. They provide 600,000 health services a year. We have learned the terrible news of the death of a member of staff in an Israeli attack. AWDA fears a further escalation of violence and is asking for the organisation's support in responding to this emergency situation: «We expect the situation to worsen further in the coming hours, which requires immediate humanitarian assistance to the victims in order to save as many lives as possible. We are providing emergency medical assistance to the injured⸱e⸱s and doing everything we can to save the lives of innocent people.».
Reaction to 75 years of colonisation and apartheid
The military attack on Gaza comes as a surprise to many, but it is a reaction to 75 years of Israeli colonisation, illegal occupation and apartheid. Like many other organisations, Viva Salud has been warning for years about the consequences of the status quo and the international community's unwillingness to tackle the root causes of the current situation in Palestine. It is high time we finally tackled this problem to avoid further bloodshed and violence.
Under the current far-right Israeli government, violence against the Palestinian population has increased sharply. This year alone, 247 Palestinians⸱e⸱s have been killed⸱e⸱s. In addition, Jewish settlers, under the benevolent eye of the Israeli army and spurred on by ultranationalist ministers, have attacked several Palestinian villages in recent months.
In certain regions of the occupied West Bank, there has been a total exodus of the Palestinian population. This is a gradual process of ethnic cleansing, with Israel annexing large parts of the occupied territory to establish exclusive Jewish settlements. Arbitrary arrests, inhumane treatment of Palestinian prisoners⸱ère⸱s and the demolition of Palestinian homes make the situation even more unbearable.
In the Gaza Strip, more than two million Palestinians⸱e⸱s live together in one of the most densely populated places on the planet. They live in a large open-air prison. For 16 years, the population has been subjected to a suffocating Israeli blockade that makes life almost impossible. 47% of the population is unemployed and 97% of water is unfit for consumption. The population has electricity for less than 13 hours a day on average and 1.3 million Palestinians⸱ne⸱s in Gaza depend on international food aid to survive. Over the past 15 years, Israel has launched at least six large-scale military attacks on Gaza, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Drama for the health of Palestinians⸱ne⸱s
The impact on healthcare and the health of Palestinians⸱ne⸱s in the Gaza Strip is dramatic. The huge increase in the number of wounded⸱e⸱s in recent days is increasing the pressure on hospitals and health centres. There is a serious shortage of medicines, medical equipment and protective gear for health staff. Israel has total control over goods entering and leaving the Gaza Strip. Health centres are overloaded and their services compromised by power cuts, checkpoints, roadblocks and bombardments.. On Saturday, Israel bombed two more hospitals, killing an ambulance driver and a nurse. According to the United Nations, the Occupied Palestinian Territory is one of the most dangerous places for health professionals⸱le⸱s.
The current bombardments have destroyed the power lines that are the Gaza Strip's only source of electricity. At present, there is only an average of 4 hours of electricity a day. Our partner AWDA recently acquired solar panels, but these are currently too limited to cope with the current emergency situation. So they have to rely on electricity generators and need a lot of fuel to do so. AWDA currently has enough fuel to supply electricity for the next four days.
No peace without justice
Viva Salud is calling on the United Nations to take immediate and decisive action to put an end to the violence and protect the lives of civilians. Particular attention must be paid to international law and the Geneva Conventions. In order to work towards lasting peace, justice must be achieved. To achieve this, the root causes of the violence must be tackled today. We must end Israeli colonisation, illegal occupation and apartheid so that the rights of Palestinians⸱ne⸱s are equal to those of Israelis⸱ne⸱s.
Solidarity with AWDA
We are making an urgent appeal to all our supporters⸱e⸱s to help us provide the necessary support to hospitals in the Gaza Strip, where the inhabitants⸱e⸱s are currently experiencing a very uncertain and difficult time. We are therefore appealing for support for our partner organisation AWDA. It is an indispensable player in the local healthcare of thousands of Palestinians⸱ne⸱s.
