RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories, Nov 29, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Around 1,000
Palestinians shot by Israeli forces during months of border clashes have
infections that could leave them permanently crippled, medical charity MSF
said Thursday, labelling it a “slow-motion healthcare emergency.”
Around 6,000 Palestinians have been shot by Israeli forces during often
violent demonstrations along the Gaza border since March, according to the
health ministry in the strip.
MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), which has provided care for thousands of
Palestinians since the protests began, said the healthcare systems in Gaza
were being overwhelmed by the number of cases and the often complicated
treatments needed.
Most of those hurt by live fire were shot in the legs, often resulting in
open fractures prone to infection, MSF said.
Around 1,000 have infections that could lead ultimately to amputations or
even death.
“This many patients would overstretch the best healthcare systems in the
world. In Gaza, it is a crushing blow,” Marie-Elisabeth Ingres, MSF’s chief
for the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
The NGO called on Israel to allow those injured out of the blockaded strip
for necessary treatment and for governments to offer their medical facilities
for the wounded.
“The alternative — that thousands of patients will be left to deal with
terrible injuries, with many permanently disabled and dependent on their
families — is unconscionable when adequate treatment is within the world’s
grasp.”
Israel maintains a tight blockade of Gaza it says is necessary to isolate
the strip’s rulers Hamas and keep the Islamist group from obtaining weapons
or material that could be used to make them.
Critics say it amounts to collective punishment of the two million
residents.
The border protests have been backed by Hamas, with which Israel has
fought three wars since 2008.
Protesters are calling for Palestinian refugees to be able to return to
their former homes now inside Israel.
Israel says Hamas has been seeking to use the protests as cover to carry
out infiltrations and attacks and that its actions are necessary to defend
the border.
At least 235 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since March 30, mostly
by Israeli fire during border clashes but also by air and tank strikes.
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period, one by a
Palestinian sniper and another during a blown Israeli special forces
operation within the Gaza Strip.