Palestine Red Crescent Society Response Report As of Saturday, October 7th 2023, 18:00 PM until Tuesday, February 9, 2024, 24:00 AM [EN/AR]

Recent Developments

Gaza Strip:

Disclaimer: The information in this report is limited, and only represents the available data which PRCS teams could gather directly or from various credible information sources . This limitation is due to communication disruptions and extreme difficulties in accessing information sources

• At precisely 14:10 this afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces deployed a massive troop to forcefully raid and thoroughly search the entire building of Al-Amal Hospital located in the Khan Yunis Governorate. The hospital at the time was providing shelter and healthcare services to approximately 200 individuals, encompassing the wounded, the ill, elderly displaced individuals, as well as the facility's administrative and medical personnel.

• Subsequent to the initial operation, the Israeli occupation forces intensified its operation by detaining an assortment of individuals within the hospital's community, including healthcare professionals, volunteers, several injured individuals, and accompanying family members or caregivers, totaling 18 persons (comprising 9 from the medical and volunteer staff, 4 wounded, and 5 patient companions). Moreover, significant destruction was inflicted upon the hospital's assets, including medical and logistical equipment,
  VHF communication devices, and computer systems. Funds were also misappropriated from the hospital's safe, along with money belonging to patients, and displaced persons. The conduct towards these individuals was exceedingly brutal, involving physical abuse, blindfolding, handcuffing, and denial of access to basic rights such as the use of sanitation facilities.

• Persisting in their disruptive actions at Al-Amal Hospital, the Israeli occupation forces expropriated oxygen cylinders that were property of Al-Amal Hospital and had been refilled at Nasser Hospital. Despite numerous efforts by concerned entities to facilitate their delivery over a span of five days, the forces obstructed these attempts, critically endangering the well-being of numerous injured and ill individuals reliant on this essential medical supply.

• Compounding the crisis, Al-Amal Hospital is grappling with acute shortages of fuel and medical supplies while addressing a volume of injuries that surpass its operational capacity by a factor of more than five. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that only one operating room is currently functional, posing a significant threat to the lives of those in need of medical care within the facility.

• The Israeli occupation forces persist in their deep incursion into the Khan Yunis Governorate, maintaining a siege on the central region, including Al-Amal neighborhood, for the 19th consecutive day. Al-Amal Hospital is under a full blockade, with military vehicles and tanks stationed at its entrances and subjected to consistent targeting. This has led to the enforcement of a curfew around the premises, compelling the displaced individuals to vacate the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) building and fully evacuate under duress and the threat of gunfire, all under the guise of establishing a "humanitarian corridor." Additionally, medical and relief personnel are hindered from conducting operations beyond the confines of PRCS's main office, with the displaced population facing imminent risks from the deliberate targeting by the Israeli occupying forces and the heavy concentration of drones hovering over the area.

• The various means of communication including landline, cellular, and Internet communications were cut off for more than 26days in Khan Yunis Governorate, which led to the connection difficulties within PRCS various crews, (including the operations room), in addition to telecommunication cut with the external world.