The department of 'Ambulance and Emergency', of the Palestinian
Ministry of Health issued a report on Thursday, providing statistic on
the effects of 'Operation Summer Rain'; the Israeli offensive which has
been inflicting destruction on Gaza since June this year, all in
retaliation for the abduction of one Israeli solider.
The death toll, given in the report, since the beginning of the operation has reached 290 civilians, amongst them 135 children and 35 women. The number of injured is 4,350, out of these 750 are left permanently disabled, 117 injuries were to the upper body, 54 burns were sustained and 53 severe burns. 1700 injuries out of 4350 were to children. The report notes that throughout July and August, the total number killed by the occupation was 110, with 450 injuries, some of which were permanently disabled
The ministry declared that the hospitals in the Gaza strip have performed 2,057 surgeries, treated 523 cases of bone fractures, there have been 1350 cases of total failure in the respiratory and nervous system, out of these 630 were children and 242 were women. The majority of those treated are still attending programmes providing psychological care.
Due to Israeli shelling, which has lead to a total destruction of the electricity generators for the Gaza Strip, there have been massive power cuts and shortages which have had highly adverse effects on the hospitals and health care centers. Dialysis machines, x-rays machines, laboratories, chemotherapy centers, cool storage for medicine and antidotes are of the worst affected.
The report claims the Israeli Air forces are firing illegal weapons – coated with depleted uranium and containing metal fragments – from their apache helicopters and F16 fighter jets, with tanks also shelling with weapons containing metal fragments. The report also accuses Israeli drones of releasing chemical weapons which lead to severe burns, graded at 4, 3 and 2, on their victims.
The closure of border crossings between Gaza, Israeli and Egypt has only worsened this crisis, the report writes, impeding medical attention reaching those who need it. 270 cases with cancer have been unable to receive treatment in Egyptian and Israeli hospitals, due to the closure of the borders, leading to a serious deterioration in the health of the patients. Heart patients, kidney failures and spinal injuries have also gone neglected due to the closures which deny access to Israeli hospitals.
