OccupationalHazard.org 01.18.09

The Occupation - 01/18/09

Gaza Incidents Log

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel

Summaries of the cases of wounded and trapped people who applied to PHR-Israel for assistance in evacuation, 16-17.1.09
16.1.09
18:00 The home of gynecologist Dr. Az A-Din Abu AlEish sustains a direct hit.
Dr. Abu AlEish lives in Beit Lahiya, Salah A-Din Street, Zemo junction. His home was shelled twice by an Israeli tank. 6 family members were killed on the spot, including 3 of his daughters. Another daughter and a niece were injured, one critically and the other moderately. One brother sustained moderate injuries and another was seriously injured. PHR-Israel applied to the Israeli army to ask to coordinate evacuation. Dr. Abu AlEish is a longtime partner of PHR-Israel and has worked in Israeli hospitals and in the UN. Since the beginning of the offensive he has been interviewed daily by Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar of Israeli main TV news Channel Ten. The doctor and three of the injured were immediately evacuated by Israeli ambulances and helicopters to Barzilai and Sheba hospitals in Israel. The speedy evacuation was a response to the coverage almost in real time of the strike, with Dr. Abu AlEish crying in shock on primetime Israeli TV. The evacuation was covered extensively by Israeli media. After the evacuation PHR-Israel transferred a message to the journalist: "It is important to stress that his evacuation into Israel undermines the claim of the Israeli authorities according to which the evacuation of the injured is not possible because of the objections of Hamas".
PHR-Israel visited the injured people at the hospital and ensured provision of all possible hospital facilities to the bereaved father.
20:00 Application from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza: The AlAmour family.

The extended family, including 40 children, lives in the AlFukhary area in Khan Younis. They went 3 days without food, and very little water. The family contacted PCHR for help in evacuation or at least food and water. No injuries were reported. PHR-Israel applied to the Israeli army but was told that without a telephone number and a detailed address they would not handle the case.
19:30 Application from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza: The Qassab/Shurab family: A father watches his son bleed to death.

Muhammad and two sons Ibrahim (17) and Qassab (28) were wounded at 13:00 while returning home in a car from a field they own. Qassab was seriously injured in the chest and died shortly after. Ibrahim sustained a leg injury and bled profusely. The father was lightly injured. The family asked desperately for an ambulance. Their car was surrounded by many Israeli forces. PHR-Israel applied to the Israeli army at 20:00 but was answered that no details about the exact address were available so the case would not be handled.
01:00 on 17.1.09 Dr. Halla Zaqout, a Gaza doctor and long term partner phoned our caseworker to tell him of the father still stuck there with his two sons: one dead and the other wounded. PHR-Israel now got the phone number of the father and contacted him, only to hear that the second son, Ibrahim, had died after bleeding for many hours.
The father's description: the event occurred at about 13:00. He set out with his sons in his care to work his field. He thought the fire had stopped at that hour, as on previous days. Suddenly he was hit by gunfire from soldiers who had taken over an apartment near the road. His son Qassab was hit directly and died immediately. His son Ibrahim was hit and lost a lot of blood. The father himself was also injured but not badly, in the arm. The father said his son Ibrahim shouted with pain and he wanted to called an ambulance, but the soldiers yelled at him "you son of a bitch, shut your mobile or we'll shoot you". Ibrahim didn't phone, but his father later made contact with the Palestine Red Crescent Society and with the ICRC. Hours went by but an ambulance never came. His son Ibrahim died of loss of blood at 00:30, about 12 hours after the shooting.
After talking to the father PHR-Israel contacted various representatives of the Israeli army. Their first response was "there is a problem with coordinating ambulances at night". Tom Mehager, PHR-Israel's caseworker, insisted that they must immediately coordinate evacuation, but he was told that there would be no ambulance before dawn. Local and international evacuation services told PHR-Israel that the case was known and that a request had been sent to the army.
At about 02:30 the army told PHR-Israel that an ambulance had been sent the previous afternoon but it had not found the injured people. PHR-Israel repeated its demand to evacuate immediately, in vain.
At about 04:00 PHR-Israel demanded an explanation for the refusal to authorize evacuation. The army said there was an explanation but refused to give it. All night Tom Mehager of PHR-Israel spoke to the father. He cried over his sons' bodies, which lay outside his car. He said he could see the soldiers and tanks a few meters away. PHR-Israel's experience has shown that the army has refused to evacuate wounded people itself during this operation, and the father feared them very much, so the caseworker did not suggest that he try to approach them. The car had also been damaged by the shooting and could not drive. Beyond his distressed condition, the father bled from his arm and complained he was cold, all night.
At 06:00 Tom contacted members of the Israeli parliament and Israeli press. Israeli internet news websites Walla and Ynet contacted the army but were told the case was "under consideration".
At 07:00 PHR-Israel contacted international ambulance services asking them to intervene again for evacuation.
At 07:30 PHR-Israel was told that evacuation had been authorized for 12:00. At 10:30 PHR-Israel was told that ambulances had set out to evacuate.
At 12:00 Father Muhammad and the bodies of his two dead sons were evacuated, almost 24 hours after being wounded.
In parallel, PHR-Israel was contacted by another of Muhammad's sons in the US, asking to hear about the condition of his father and two brothers. PHR-Israel was obliged to tell him the bitter news of the death of both his brothers:
"On January 16, 2009, at 5.32 PM (USA time), Amro Shurrab wrote:
My father's car was bombed today, he was in it with two of my Brothers, my older brother 27 was killed while my dad 64 and my little brother 17 have been bleeding for over 14 hours and Israeli troops Blocking ambulances access. They are in front of supermarket Abu Zidane El-Najjar, El-Fukhary, Khan Younis. Gaza Strip. Please contact any media outlets, your congressmen, senators, any International organizations and try to get them help."
17.1.09
09:30 The Al-Bahar family
25 members of one family (including 18 minors) marooned for 20 days in their home. Two lightly injured people and a burns victim. They live in an isolated house south of the area of what used to be the settlement Netsarim, in the AlMaghraka neighborhood. From the night there have been tanks in the area and in the background PHR-Israel workers heard constant shooting and explosions. The water has run out and they are requesting immediate evacuation.
10:30 PHR-Israel contacts the Israeli army, the international ambulance services and the Palestinian liaison officer Rif'at Muheisen. They all say they will begin work on the case.
14:00 the ambulance services say they have submitted a request to the Israeli army but the army is not enabling evacuation because of shooting in the area.
16:25 still stuck at home. The family beg for evacuation
17:00 30 additional people have fled a neighboring house and joined the family: now 55 civilians in the house.
17:30 PHR-Israel makes a second application to the Israeli army.
17:45 The Israeli army claims that the ambulances refuse to evacuate at night. To a request to provide water to the family, they say they will "examine the matter" and return an answer to PHR-Israel. No more calls from them are recorded.
22:30 the family is still at home with no water, food or electricity.
07:30 (18.1.09) the family is allowed to leave the house safely.
http://www.phr.org.il

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Gaza Incidents Log
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel





Summaries of the cases of wounded and trapped people who applied to PHR-Israel for assistance in evacuation, 16-17.1.09 16.1.09 18:00 The home of gynecologist Dr. Az A-Din Abu AlEish sustains a direct hit. Dr. Abu AlEish lives in Beit Lahiya, Salah A-Din Street, Zemo junction. His home was shelled twice by an Israeli tank. 6 family members were killed on the spot, including 3 of his daughters. Another daughter and a niece were injured, one critically and the other moderately. One brother sustained moderate injuries and another was seriously injured. PHR-Israel applied to the Israeli army to ask to coordinate evacuation. Dr. Abu AlEish is a longtime partner of PHR-Israel and has worked in Israeli hospitals and in the UN. Since the beginning of the offensive he has been interviewed daily by Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar of Israeli main TV news Channel Ten. The doctor and three of the injured were immediately evacuated by Israeli ambulances and helicopters to Barzilai and Sheba hospitals in Israel. The speedy evacuation was a response to the coverage almost in real time of the strike, with Dr. Abu AlEish crying in shock on primetime Israeli TV. The evacuation was covered extensively by Israeli media. After the evacuation PHR-Israel transferred a message to the journalist: "It is important to stress that his evacuation into Israel undermines the claim of the Israeli authorities according to which the evacuation of the injured is not possible because of the objections of Hamas". PHR-Israel visited the injured people at the hospital and ensured provision of all possible hospital facilities to the bereaved father. 20:00 Application from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza: The AlAmour family. The extended family, including 40 children, lives in the AlFukhary area in Khan Younis. They went 3 days without food, and very little water. The family contacted PCHR for help in evacuation or at least food and water. No injuries were reported. PHR-Israel applied to the Israeli army but was told that without a telephone number and a detailed address they would not handle the case. 19:30 Application from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza: The Qassab/Shurab family: A father watches his son bleed to death. Muhammad and two sons Ibrahim (17) and Qassab (28) were wounded at 13:00 while returning home in a car from a field they own. Qassab was seriously injured in the chest and died shortly after. Ibrahim sustained a leg injury and bled profusely. The father was lightly injured. The family asked desperately for an ambulance. Their car was surrounded by many Israeli forces. PHR-Israel applied to the Israeli army at 20:00 but was answered that no details about the exact address were available so the case would not be handled. 01:00 on 17.1.09 Dr. Halla Zaqout, a Gaza doctor and long term partner phoned our caseworker to tell him of the father still stuck there with his two sons: one dead and the other wounded. PHR-Israel now got the phone number of the father and contacted him, only to hear that the second son, Ibrahim, had died after bleeding for many hours. The father's description: the event occurred at about 13:00. He set out with his sons in his care to work his field. He thought the fire had stopped at that hour, as on previous days. Suddenly he was hit by gunfire from soldiers who had taken over an apartment near the road. His son Qassab was hit directly and died immediately. His son Ibrahim was hit and lost a lot of blood. The father himself was also injured but not badly, in the arm. The father said his son Ibrahim shouted with pain and he wanted to called an ambulance, but the soldiers yelled at him "you son of a bitch, shut your mobile or we'll shoot you". Ibrahim didn't phone, but his father later made contact with the Palestine Red Crescent Society and with the ICRC. Hours went by but an ambulance never came. His son Ibrahim died of loss of blood at 00:30, about 12 hours after the shooting. After talking to the father PHR-Israel contacted various representatives of the Israeli army. Their first response was "there is a problem with coordinating ambulances at night". Tom Mehager, PHR-Israel's caseworker, insisted that they must immediately coordinate evacuation, but he was told that there would be no ambulance before dawn. Local and international evacuation services told PHR-Israel that the case was known and that a request had been sent to the army. At about 02:30 the army told PHR-Israel that an ambulance had been sent the previous afternoon but it had not found the injured people. PHR-Israel repeated its demand to evacuate immediately, in vain. At about 04:00 PHR-Israel demanded an explanation for the refusal to authorize evacuation. The army said there was an explanation but refused to give it. All night Tom Mehager of PHR-Israel spoke to the father. He cried over his sons' bodies, which lay outside his car. He said he could see the soldiers and tanks a few meters away. PHR-Israel's experience has shown that the army has refused to evacuate wounded people itself during this operation, and the father feared them very much, so the caseworker did not suggest that he try to approach them. The car had also been damaged by the shooting and could not drive. Beyond his distressed condition, the father bled from his arm and complained he was cold, all night. At 06:00 Tom contacted members of the Israeli parliament and Israeli press. Israeli internet news websites Walla and Ynet contacted the army but were told the case was "under consideration". At 07:00 PHR-Israel contacted international ambulance services asking them to intervene again for evacuation. At 07:30 PHR-Israel was told that evacuation had been authorized for 12:00. At 10:30 PHR-Israel was told that ambulances had set out to evacuate. At 12:00 Father Muhammad and the bodies of his two dead sons were evacuated, almost 24 hours after being wounded. In parallel, PHR-Israel was contacted by another of Muhammad's sons in the US, asking to hear about the condition of his father and two brothers. PHR-Israel was obliged to tell him the bitter news of the death of both his brothers: "On January 16, 2009, at 5.32 PM (USA time), Amro Shurrab wrote: My father's car was bombed today, he was in it with two of my Brothers, my older brother 27 was killed while my dad 64 and my little brother 17 have been bleeding for over 14 hours and Israeli troops Blocking ambulances access. They are in front of supermarket Abu Zidane El-Najjar, El-Fukhary, Khan Younis. Gaza Strip. Please contact any media outlets, your congressmen, senators, any International organizations and try to get them help." 17.1.09 09:30 The Al-Bahar family 25 members of one family (including 18 minors) marooned for 20 days in their home. Two lightly injured people and a burns victim. They live in an isolated house south of the area of what used to be the settlement Netsarim, in the AlMaghraka neighborhood. From the night there have been tanks in the area and in the background PHR-Israel workers heard constant shooting and explosions. The water has run out and they are requesting immediate evacuation. 10:30 PHR-Israel contacts the Israeli army, the international ambulance services and the Palestinian liaison officer Rif'at Muheisen. They all say they will begin work on the case. 14:00 the ambulance services say they have submitted a request to the Israeli army but the army is not enabling evacuation because of shooting in the area. 16:25 still stuck at home. The family beg for evacuation 17:00 30 additional people have fled a neighboring house and joined the family: now 55 civilians in the house. 17:30 PHR-Israel makes a second application to the Israeli army. 17:45 The Israeli army claims that the ambulances refuse to evacuate at night. To a request to provide water to the family, they say they will "examine the matter" and return an answer to PHR-Israel. No more calls from them are recorded. 22:30 the family is still at home with no water, food or electricity. 07:30 (18.1.09) the family is allowed to leave the house safely. http://www.phr.org.il
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