Email 
Print 
Gaza: Oxfam supported
health worker killed, ambulance destroyed
Source: Oxfam GB - UK
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
Israeli shell struck a civilian ambulance in Gaza today according to
international agency Oxfam. The tragedy illustrates the deadly dangers
faced by Palestinian civilians and aid worker said the agency.Another paramedic lost his foot and a driver was injured in the same
incident, which occurred when an ambulance belonging to Oxfam’s partner
organisation, Union of Health Work Committees, was hit while trying to
evacuate an injured person in the Beit Lahiya area, Oxfam said. The UN
estimates over 100 civilians have been killed in Gaza over the past week
although some other organisations believe the civilian death toll is
significantly higher.“The incident shows yet again that trying to fight a military campaign in
the densely populated streets and alleys of the Gaza Strip will inevitably
lead to civilian casualties. There are no safe areas and Gazans who want to
flee the fighting have been prevented from leaving the Strip,†said Oxfam
GB Country Director John Prideaux-Brune in Jerusalem.The Israeli ground offensive into Gaza, which began on Saturday following a
week of heavy bombardment by land, sea and air, is preventing urgently
needed supplies of medicine, food, water, and fuel from reaching one and a
half million Palestinian women, men and children, Oxfam said.“Hospitals in Gaza are overflowing with dead and wounded while facing
severe shortages of essential medical supplies and spare parts. Oxfam and
local partners have had to suspend all our work, apart from emergency
medical aid. Many of our colleagues in Gaza are trapped in their homes, and
in fear of their and their families’ lives. Others, such as the paramedic
Arafa, have lost their lives trying to save others.“The trickle of humanitarian aid that Israel has sometimes allowed in
through one border crossing at Kerem Shalom has been completely inadequate
to meet the needs of 1.5 million people â€" 80% of whom are reliant on this
aid. Since the start of the Israeli ground offensive, even that trickle has
dried up. An immediate ceasefire is urgently needed to allow essential aid
to reach those families who need it,†added Prideaux-Brune.Oxfam is calling for a binding UN Security Council resolution to demand:an immediate halt to violence in Gaza and Israel by all parties,
all parties to commit to an immediate, comprehensive and permanent truce,
Israel, Hamas and other parties to permit immediate and unhindered access
to and from Gaza for humanitarian and commercial goods, and for people,
thereby ending the blockade.Oxfam is also calling on the European Union to suspend the EU-Israel
upgrade process until there is a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, and
Israel provides unimpeded humanitarian access.
More from the Oxfam Press Office at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/news
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
