20 November 2019
Last week, Gaza was again rocked by a violent military escalation that resulted in the deaths of 34 Palestinians, including eight children, and at least 111 injured, including 46 children.
It began in the early hours of Tuesday 12 November when an Israeli airstrike killed a senior commander of militant group Islamic Jihad and his wife. Further Israeli airstrikes and rocket fire from Gaza were ongoing until a ceasefire was reached on 14 November.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), as one of Gaza’s first responders, reacted fast to support hospitals to treat casualties.
Fikr Shalltoot, MAP’s Director of Programmes in Gaza, said: “The situation in Gaza significantly deteriorated. Explosions were heard all over Gaza. Once again, we experienced a situation very similar to the 2014 Gaza attacks.”
The attacks came amid chronic shortages of medical supplies in Gaza’s health sector. More than 46% of essential drugs and 28% of medical disposables are at zero stock, meaning there is less than one month’s supply on the shelves.
MAP responded by helping emergency departments treat the critically injured through the provision of essential medical supplies. These medicines included pain killers, IV fluids, antibiotics and anaesthetic agents, and are expected to reach 15,000 patients in Gaza. MAP’s support to Gaza’s Central Blood Bank was also critical for those suffering from heavy bleeding.
We are monitoring the situation carefully.
We continue to call for an end to the blockade and illegal closure of Gaza which inhibit the ability of the local health system to adequately respond to healthcare needs, especially at times of crisis.
MAP would like to thank to everyone who supported our Gaza emergency appeal. Hospitals in Gaza continue to urgently need medicines. Please consider making a donation today to help us get essential supplies to hospitals:
