Sunday, January 18, 2009

Emergency treatment center to open at Erez crossing


(Communicated by the Ministries of Welfare and Social Services and Health )

On Sunday, 18 January (14:00), a forward emergency treatment center will be opened at the Erez crossing into Gaza in the presence of Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog and Minister of Health Yacov Ben Yizri. The center's goal is to treat uninvolved civilians from Gaza. The Israel Ministry of Health, through Magen David Adom, will operate the emergency treatment center. This initiative is part of the Israeli government's humanitarian efforts to assist the civilian population of Gaza, coordinated by Minister Herzog. According to understandings reached between the ministers of welfare and health and the Red Cross, the injured civilians will be brought from Gaza to hospitals in Israel, according to their medical condition. Israeli hospitals have been preparing to accept these new patients.

The treatment center will be fully equipped and staffed by medical personnel, including specialists in the following areas: trauma, orthopedics, pediatric medicine, family medicine, gynecology, etc.


Since the beginning of the Israeli operation in Gaza:

* 33,580 tons of humanitarian supplies have been transferred to Gaza in 1,365 trucks. Also, 1,666,351 liters of fuel have been conveyed through Nahal Oz and Kerem Shalom.
* 449 dual nationals were evacuated from Gaza.
* 3000 units of blood were donated by Jordan.
* 5 ambulances donated by Turkey.
* 5 ambulances transferred from the West Bank on behalf of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
* 38 people evacuated to Israel for medical needs, including two injured children.
* Numerous infrastructural repairs have taken place - sewage, water and electricity.

During the past week (January 11-16), 12,259 tons of humanitarian aid were transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom cargo terminal.

The Nahal Oz Fuel Depot is currently full, with 300,000 liters of diesel and 200 tons of domestic gas. Despite ongoing attempts, the Palestinian side has yet to empty the depot in order to reutilize this crossing. In an effort to keep fuel for the Gaza power station flowing into Gaza, the Ministry of Defense established a temporary mechanism. Throughout this week 350,550 liters of heavy duty diesel were transferred through Kerem Shalom.

The Karni conveyor belt operated this week sporadically due to a terrorist tunnel exposed by the IDF in close vicinity and technical malfunctions of the conveyor. A total of 2393 tons of grain were conveyed through the crossing.

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