PONTIFICAL MISSION
the
papal agency for
Middle East relief and development
29 July 2014
Since launching our Gaza Emergency Appeal a few days ago, we are providing an update on the latest heartbreaking
statistics in Gaza from the United
Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as of
yesterday: 1,065 Palestinians killed
including at least 795 civilians of
whom 229 are children and 118 are women;
44 Israeli soldiers killed and 3
civilians; 6,233
Palestinians injured of whom 1,949 are children and 1,160 are women; 215,000
are displaced and in need of
shelter, drinking water, and food
assistance; 44% of the Gaza Strip encompassing
a 3-kilometer wide strip is declared
a no-go zone; 194,000 of children are in need of psychosocial support; 3,695 families
whose homes were totally destroyed; 4,235 families whose homes sustained
major damage; 24,500 families whose homes
sustained minor damages; 133
schools damaged; and 22 health facilities damaged or destroyed!! The
number of Palestinian casualties is increasing daily and will increase even if the hostilities end. It is estimated that hundreds more are buried under
the rubble and it will take days or
weeks to dig up all of the bodies. What is really sad about it all are the
accusations that women
and children are being used as 'human shields'
with total disregard to
the fact that 1.8 million people are
now living within an area of some 200
square kilometers which was already overcrowded before the war
started. Is there any safe place left for
them to take refuge and cover?
The above statistics
are appalling to say the least, but what is more difficult to comprehend
are the personal stories that I hear from our
various friends and partners. The
targeting of the Ayyad family home
just yesterday was most disturbing. The first Christian victim was a 60 year-old woman named Jalileh Ayyad who did not have enough
time to flee; she was killed
instantly when a missile hit
her home. Her 32 year-old son Jeries who was with her at the time, was critically wounded in the
attack suffering from severe burns
and shrapnel fragments on 60-70% of
his body and doctors had to amputate
both his legs to save his life.
He will be brought to a Jerusalem hospital for extensive treatment so that he will have a better chance of survival. Jalileh was buried in the Greek Orthodox cemetery
in Gaza late yesterday afternoon.
I received an urgent call two days ago from Suhaila
Tarazi, director of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital
in Gaza explaining the urgency for medicines,
medical supplies and more importantly,
fuel to operate the hospital's generator.
She reported that
the hospital had to make a painful
decision to shut down their generator for 4 hours that afternoon in order to ration fuel. She was
very upset not knowing what affect it
will have on the patient's treatment
and recovery. We immediately lobbied with our connections to
ensure that the hospital gets the fuel supply it needs to continue to save
lives.
I will be amiss if I do not mention our own Projects Assistant based in Gaza, George Anton, who leaves his young
family on a
daily basis and risking his own life
to visit local institutions and individuals in
order to assess the situation on the
ground. He describes his personal experience and the stories of
ordinary people affected
by the war; the dozens of displaced
families housed at
the Holy
Family Church; the hundreds of injured patients at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital; dozens of veiled
Muslim women and their children who have nowhere else to
go taking refuge at
the Greek Orthodox Church.
Today, as he was describing to me the status of Jeries Ayyad - the injured son of
the late Jalileh who is in the hospital, the building across
the street from George's
home was being shelled
and he had to take cover immediately!
Our Churches and Church institutions continue to be that
beacon
of hope in Gaza despite all of the misery. The Holy Family School,
the Greek Orthodox Church
and the Greek Orthodox
Cultural Center have all opened up their facilities to hundreds of displaced
families, giving them
food, clean water, and above all, a safe roof over their heads. The Al-Ahli Arab Hospital
continues to open up its facilities in this emergency crisis
to anyone with all
medical treatment and care free of charge. Fr. Georges Hernandez
continues to risk his life every day making home and hospital visits.
The Daughters of Charity
continue to call Gaza
home despite the various offers for evacuation.
Within our Christian community and institutions, despite all of the suffering, the Christian mission is certainly at its best. These brave souls who are personally risking their lives not knowing when their homes or the institutions the visit or operate will be hit by an airstrike, continue to comfort the injured and displaced, provide assistance and services to the weak and marginalized and do it with the Christian values at heart.
I would like to
take the opportunity to thank all of
our various donors
who already responded positively to our appeal, and to those whose circumstances
do not allow financial
support at this time. Please know that
your moral support and prayers to the people of Gaza,
especially the women and children, is priceless
and is helping to keep hope and faith alive.
Sami
El-Yousef
Regional Director
Pontifical Mission for Palestine
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