ISM Gaza
15 luglio 2014

International activists remain in Gaza hospital threatened by Israeli missiles

Last night, Israel's army fired five warning missiles at El-Wafa geriatric

hospital

in Gaza City, Gaza. International volunteers now staying in the hospital in

solidarity, have said they, "can hear missiles falling close by".

"The civilian population of Gaza is being bombed. We will stay with them in

solidarity until the international community and our governments take

action to stop Israel's crimes against humanity." States Swedish

International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist, Fred Ekblad.

The volunteers are citizens of USA, Spain, Sweden, Venezuela, France, UK,

Australia, and New Zealand. The first barrage of missiles hit the fourth

floor of the hospital at 2:00AM.

At approximately 19:00 a fifth missile hit the hospital. "Windows and doors

were blown out, broken glass everywhere, damage to the stairs, there?s a

big hole at the impact area and the wall is burnt," reports Joe Catron, ISM

activist, from the U.S.

At around 20:00 Basman Alashi, executive director of the hospital, received

an unidentified call from a person with a, ?heavy Israeli accent?, asking

if there were any injuries, whether there was any one in the top floor, and

whether they were planning to evacuate the hospital.

Alashi says the hospital will not be evacuated because there is nowhere to

evacuate the patients too. "El-Wafa hospital serves the patients that need

medical attention 24 hours a day. Including patients that can?t move, or

people who need to be fed by tube. This hospital is the only one in Gaza

specializing in the rehabilitation of people who need physical and

occupational therapy. All our patients are over 60 years old, men and

women. We don?t understand why the Israeli forces have fired five rockets

at the hospital in the last 24 hours so far. We serve humanity.?"

Internationals in the hospital:

Basman Alashi- executive director of El-Wafa hospital

(ISM) Joseph Catron, USA (English)

Manu Pineda, Spain (Spanish)

Huda Julie Webb-Pullman, Australia and New Zealand (English)

(ISM) Fred Ekblad, Sweden (Swedish/English)

(ISM) Charlie, Sweden (Swedish/English)

Valeria Cortes, Venezuela (Spanish)

Rina Andolini, UK (English)

Collete Lechrien, France (French)