28 June 2021
Last Wednesday, in the context of the violent response to ongoing Palestinian protests, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) delivered emergency supplies to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), Al Makassed Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital in occupied East Jerusalem.
Since April, Israeli forces have repeatedly used rubber-coated steel bullets, physical beatings, tear gas and sound grenades against Palestinians in East Jerusalem who are protesting against attempts to forcibly expel residents of the Palestinian communities of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, and other discriminatory practices and systematic violations of international law in the city.
PMRS first aid responders, in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), have treated around 1,300 injured Palestinians. Hundreds of Palestinians have been hospitalised, mainly with chest and head injuries. Al Makassed Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital have been treating most of these cases.
Medical first responders have also come under attack while undertaking their duties. PMRS- Jerusalem reported 12 paramedics have been injured by Israeli forces while providing first aid to wounded Palestinians.
MAP’s West Bank Director of Programmes, Aisha Mansour, spoke about the delivery of the medical supplies and their importance:
“Throughout the past two weeks, MAP has been working on delivering medical consumables and disposables for the Saint Joseph and Al Makassed hospitals and the PMRS to increase medical capacity for those responding to the situation in Jerusalem. In the past two months, they have witnessed an unprecedented surge in injuries which have put immense pressure on their medical teams and supplies.
We have been in contact with the network of East Jerusalem hospitals to assess their needs and procure their emergency supplies. They were happy to receive these supplies which will help them to continue to respond to emergencies. These hospitals have historically been the backbone of the Palestinian health system. Therefore, it is very important to support them in these challenging times.
I would like to thank MAP’s donors and supporters, without them we wouldn’t have been able to procure, deliver and support the Palestinian health system in East Jerusalem in these difficult times.”
Dr Adnan Farhood, Director General of Al Makassed Hospital also highlighted the significance of the aid:
“Since May, Al Makassed Hospital has treated around 1,000 cases. On 10 May, we received around 300 injuries in two hours – this was beyond our capacity and created great stress on our staff and supplies.
We did not have enough supplies but thanks to MAP and international funds we are able to respond to this emergency.”
Please consider supporting the critical work of hospitals in East Jerusalem by giving a donation to MAP today.
