A MEDICAL doctor based in Gaza and a long-standing member of the Gift of the Givers, a disaster response organisation, said in spite of being concerned about the well-being of their own families, they provided assistance to many who were affected by the war.
“Our hope is for the bombing to end. We pray for a ceasefire and peace to emerge as we believe that there are no winners in war and there are no losers in peace.
“We wish not to see children in pain and mothers losing children and loved ones,” was the appeal from Doctor Malik Abou-Rageilahere, a Gift of Givers member since 2009, who has worked on their various medical projects in Middle East countries.
Abou-Rageilahere said their team was presently providing assistance all over the Gaza strip.
His observations were that the fighting targeted infrastructure and the residential buildings, with governmental headquarters and economical areas like Al Remaal area and Al Masaani were hit in the initial stages of the war.
Most people have left their homes and moved closer to the borders.
“Presently, there are still a lot of bodies under the rubble. Roads have also been destroyed, which makes rescue attempts difficult.
“What makes things worse is the targeting of ambulances along with anything moving. Thus far, we have lost 17 ambulances, and four hospitals are out of service.”
Abou-Rageilahere said most patients they treated were in critical condition with broken bones.
“The worst and most dangerous injuries right now are those caused by the white phosphorus. These cases present great difficulties for medics. Phosphorus burns the body and organs, and it's a substance that stays lit for longer. There is no quick way of turning it off.
He said it affects the body’s mucus membranes and causes respiratory problems.
“It is a dangerous weapon that has been forbidden but was widely used during this war.”
When the fighting started the previous Saturday, he and his team ensured their families were safe before communicating with humanitarian and international organisations, measuring the scale of damage and planning their response.
“Priority, in such circumstances, was providing food parcels to those in need and assisting people with injuries.”
Abou-Rageilahere said they were also cognisant that in order to not risk the lives of others, he and his team had to ensure they were well and safe in order to render services to those in need.
When he was not working in battlegrounds like Gaza, Abou-Rageilahere said apart from medical projects, he was also involved in Gift of the Givers programmes that served the poor in conflict areas.
“We call it the Poor Patient Fund Programme. We have psychosocial programs for women and children that have been affected by war to help them overcome the trauma and direct them towards a bright future.
“We have education programmes to support school pupils and university students.”
Abou-Rageilahere said he met Dr Imtiaaz Sooliman, the Gift of the Givers founder, during the 2009 war on Gaza and has been with the organisation ever since.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE