Imtiaz Sooliman – IsraelHamas Conflict updates on humanitarian aid for victims
AI: Summary ©
The Israeli guests affected by the conflict acknowledge the need for aid and state that the situation is serious. The ongoing strikes in the hospital and the potential damage caused by the coronavirus have led to the loss of lives and the loss of people living in the region. The ongoing medical crisis and the loss of people are also discussed. The group expresses frustration over the situation and discusses the possibility of people being killed.
AI: Summary ©
Staying with the Ismael Hamas conflict. Let's now bring in Dr
Suleman Imtiaz, the director and founder for gift of the givers,
For the latest on the humanitarian aid assistance provided by the
Israel Hamas conflict victims. Dr Suleman, thank you so much for
your time this afternoon. Just talk to us about the challenges
currently that you are facing as gift of the givers and, of course,
other aid organizations in reaching out and assisting those
affected. Because we do understand that much needed. You know, aid is
is required, particularly when we talk about water, fuel as well as
food. The situation is absolutely critical. Right now. The message
has come that because of the strike of the hospital and the
strike of several other hospitals, they were damaged for hospitals
previously this and then they start this hospital last night,
and they believe it threatening to strike further hospitals, the
doctor healthcare workers have said, unfortunately, they don't
have enough medication, they don't have enough support to fix the
patients, expecting hundreds of patients just rely on the floor
and die. We're treating them on the floor now, because there's no
more. Spaces are full, the beds are full, the walls are full,
reception is full. And many cases, they're operating on the patients
without anesthetic because they don't have anesthetic anymore.
They don't they if they don't get any supplies, if the suicide
doesn't take place, many, many many people that want to die,
besides those at the moment died and those they haven't found under
the rug. My teams, of course, they lived, you know, in South Africa,
said these are people from Gaza that been living there for years.
We put that into a permanent position since 2014
it's the first time I ever hear them say that what's happening
here is an absolute massacre, is a genocide. When you tell them, try
to take care of your teams and your family are put in the safe
place, they say that the word safe doesn't exist. Gaza, no place is
safe. You said yesterday, you can see what happened. There were
civilians in the hospital, structure protected by
international law. Residents were taken refuge in hospital, and they
were directly hit from aircraft. They said, what place to say? In
Gaza, we've told them. Unfortunately, it's a hard thing
to say, but we've told them to start helping additional people,
recruit additional people, network additional organizations. The
reality is that they themselves can die, and that happens. No work
will stop taking place. We need continuity. They said, We've
prepared for that. Already, water plants are knocked out. They're
not because no electricity. There's no fuel. We have seen
these as a nation plants. We've managed to collect some
generators. People are taking fuel out of the cars and giving us fuel
from the cars to put in the generator to run the water plants,
which will be running out of bed soon. And of course, in the first
few days, we have attacked white fossils also, which causes a war
crimes. It's a war crime, and it's collected punishment. We've
targeted the homes. They've damaged so many homes. They wiped
out 400 family. The whole family is one. Nobody left, and they said
that in the track last night, most of the pressures that were brought
to other hospitals that are functioning, they were
decapitated. They came with our heads, became without legs and
were badly mutilated.
Dr Suleman, of course, I want to know more about the situation. You
know, at the borders. At the moment, we know that aid trucks on
the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, you know, have been
unable to enter Gaza. Egypt is now also saying that it's concerned
about the potential influx of Palestinian refugees if the Rafah
crossing opens. Can you tell us what the situation on that border
is like at the moment,
from what they've told me, I even spoke to the Egyptian Ambassador
because you asked if you know what in the event, there's a
possibility, we like to bring supplies and we like to bring
medical teams. He said, Look, from our side, the border is open, but
he said, just taking pictures, there's hundreds of trucks there.
Aladdin airport, which is the one hour from Rafa for where the
suppliers go and when planes land, said it soon. We can't we can send
you to the border, but we can't send your cross, you know, because
they've been shocked from the other side. And when I checked
with my teams, they said that's correct, because two days ago,
there was an announcement. Somebody posted an announcement,
there's a ceasefire for five hours. And when we checked with
them, they said they don't know where that came from. There's no
such thing as a ceasefire. Israelis adamant that nobody's
going to leave and nobody's going to come in and the trucks come you
know they were being shot at. They said the trucks have been
shrugged. So all the drivers are waiting outside. We don't know it
is perishable food or non perishable food on items on those
trucks, which means eventually they won't be able to use them
with perishable food. So there's, there's, and people can't come
out. Countries for 750 foreign nationals who need to come out.
Everybody's stuck. One of the doctors who works for us, you
know, who comes a few times a year to do an organ transplant, kidney
transplant, he's stuck inside that he can't come out. You know, we
spoke to anybody. He can't come out. Unlike him, there many other
people stuck inside. So on the board itself, the tax cut moving
as.
Exactly become involved,
Doctor Suleiman, before I let you go, just very briefly and very
quickly. I mean, have you experienced something like this?
We know, of course, that there is supposed to be this ground
offensive by Israel, because they've said they won't stop
bombarding Gaza. I mean, to what end would then, you know, the
people who are living in Gaza then be able to be assisted, because,
as we are talking now, there is a humanitarian crisis happening now.
There's no way you can have these people who right now, all we bring
is buying stuff from inside. When it happened on the four start on
the sixth of October, immediately, I in my teams to buy items inside,
whatever they could find, food, clothing, medicines, equipment,
whatever they could find for the people, because we knew there's
going to be a problem. And they, when I asked them, they said, like
blankets and mattresses are finished. Medical supplies are
almost finished. Desalination plants are not wrong, unless we
have fuel, which people are giving us from the car, your food spots
are running low at some point. I'm actually surprised that it put so
long with the supplies. I can't believe that it went so long. I
was expecting it to be finished already. They've been buying food
and providing factories to different un camps. They've been
assisting that way. But the reality is that sooner or later,
they will tell me, we have nothing here to send out to the people
when the ground troops come. I don't think the Palestinians both
anymore, to be quite honest, because they were even pretty far
our notice. The most illogical, irrational, insensible monsters
type of announcement both 1.1 20 people in 24 hours going the right
man can make such kind of request, and so many people patients are in
the hospital. The doctors can't move critically the patient, they
die on the way. And then the amazing part is, whilst the
people, those who wanted to move, move, they were shot at, and 70
people died in the convoy, cousins have come to the conclusion, and
have decided, neither the civilians nor the medical staff
nor the patients are going to move. They're going to wait there,
and whatever happens, happens. It's no way to tie nos. They
rather distorted and murdered and killed, or they have to remove a