The outstanding Palestine Red Crescent Society, a medical organization, has been providing very informative hourly and daily updates on the crisis in Palestine, where they are literally operating under fire. Their website with the latest up date as of 4/5/02 at 8 p.m. is:

http://www.palestinercs.org/Press%20Releases/PRCSUpdateApr52002.htm

This April 5 report is broken down by city, with both medical and military news. The report also provides totals of dead and injured.

Remember, it is the US taxpayers that is paying for the murder of the Palestinians so Israel can continue to defend US oil profits.

From: http://www.alternativenews.org/

Urgent action: medical emergency in Palestinian hospitals, immediate assistance needed to purchase basic medical supplies Saturday, April 6th, 2002 Ronni Shendar/AIC

HOSPITALS THROUGHOUT THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES ARE RUNNING OUT OF BASIC MEDICAL SUPPLIES such as syringes and gauze pads, and soon will be unable to treat patients. A medical emergency state has been declared.

Working with other organizations, the Physicians for Human Rights have received a list of immediate supplies needed from various hospitals in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in order to continue to provide medical treatment. The cost for these supplies is 0,000 and is needed in a most immediate and urgent manner.

I would appreciate if you could circulate this request for IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. IF PALESTINIAN HOSPITALS WILL NOT RECEIVE THESE SUPPLIES WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS THEY WILL BE UNABLE TO TREAT THEIR PATIENTS!

Following are contacts' information as well as a bank account to which money can be wired (any organizations or persons who have transferred money to this account please make sure to also contact one of the following persons by phone or e-mail) .

Bank Account 160213/574 in Poalim Bank West Jerusalem

Yasser Akawi (Physicians for Human Rights) 972/52-868398

Dr. Neve Gordon 972/368603 ngordon@bgumail.bgu.ac.il

From: http://www.palestinemonitor.org/updates/update_cover.htm

(Corrected date: April 6, 2002)

Deliberately Created Humanitarian Crisis Reaches Intolerable Point

April 6th, 2001[2002], 11AM

The humanitarian crisis intentionally created by Israel continues to worsen in the West Bank.

In Nablus, currently under fire, Medical Relief has set up six field hospitals; the situation in two of them is dire. One of them, a mosque in the old city, reports 50 people injured, three of those in critical condition, 15 in serious condition. Doctors in the mosque have to operate with minimal equipment, five corpses in the room in which they operate. Israeli snipers on the roofs of the surrounding buildings shoot at any one trying to get to or from the mosque. Apache helicopters regularly attack the region; missiles have already destroyed several houses belonging to the Al-Usta family in the old city. It is reported that there are three people lying wounded in the near by streets, but no one is able to bring them to the mosque – the ambulances are prevented from moving. Also in the old city three health workers report they were taken by Israeli soldiers and used as human shields as the soldiers went from house to house searching.

The same situation is true for the field hospital in the Askar refugee camp. Israeli apache helicopters have shot missiles leaving seven people injured, two of them critically. Four bodies are known to be in the streets, but an ambulance given permission from the Israeli military to collect them came under fire, and had the tyres shot out. At the time of writing, soldiers were still shooting at the ambulance, but UPMRC lost contact with them.

Our sources in Jenin report the same dreadful humanitarian situation. The Israeli army has attacked continuously throughout the night, the refugee camp and the city. Apache helicopters have attacked and seriously damaged around 50 houses in the western side of the camp, 20 people are reported injured, bleeding in the street. Reports from the inhabitants are that there are 15 dead bodies in different locations, but again ambulances came under attack when trying to gain access to these bodies – this time with ammunition from the helicopters.

Yesterday at Al Razi hospital in Jenin, doctors and medics watched on helplessly as 28-year-old Nidal Al Haj bled to death inside the hospital yard. Dr. Ali Jabareen from the hospital explained how “the medics waited for a long time, but they could get to him because of the shelling”. Not so dramatic, but still life threatening, pregnant women, patients needing kidney dialysis, heart attack victims, and diabetic patients also are prevented from reaching medical treatment on which their lives depend. Hospitals report a shortage of oxygen and other medical supplies.

The latest news from Jenin is that the Israel army is systematically bulldozing houses in the refugee camp, which is home to some 15,000 Palestinians in an area of one kilometre squared. This is happening at the same time they are dropping tear gas from helicopters on the camp. For two days the camp has resisted the Israeli invasion so now the nature of the invasion has changed – BULLDOZING HOMES WITH THE INHABITANTS INSIDE.

Yatta near Hebron also came under sustained Israeli attack from 3AM this morning. Dozens of tanks surrounded the town and opened fire on the inhabitants. The hospital reported two Palestinians were killed while in their homes – Jamal Hamad Karaysh, 22, live ammunition to his head, and Nader Jamil Al Khadder, 21, live ammunition to his chest. The hospital buried them in the cemetery, immediately and without a funeral, as they were afraid that after the Israeli army completely invades the town a health crisis could erupt – similar to the crisis in the other West Bank towns where bodies sit in hospitals and homes decomposing, as they cannot be buried.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, under siege in Ramallah, comments on the Israeli onslaught, saying, “this total humanitarian disaster has been intentionally created by the Israeli army. Now in Jenin and Nablus, the Israeli army is doing the same they have done in the other West Bank towns, preventing access of medical services to injured and sick people. This is systematic and planned. The Israeli commanders claim that it is safe for a vehicle to move, or that it is safe for ambulances and humanitarian workers, but the soldiers on the street then blatantly open fire on our ambulances. They are creating this humanitarian disaster – are using it as an instrument of political control.”

The UPMRC [http://www.upmrc.org Union of Palestine Medical Relief Committee] issued a statement yesterday warning against epidemics, caused by decomposing bodies trapped in homes and several health facilities.