A team of 200 medical teams from South Africa are on standby waiting to enter Gaza, says Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, head of humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers, which has had a permanent presence in Gaza since 2013.
“We’ve got funding and a lot of support ready to assist Gaza for educational upgrades, boreholes and lots more. We are all waiting for the next phase after talks at the summit currently taking place in Egypt, which will clarify the next steps. So far, medical or relief delegations have not been permitted to enter, and there is no clear mechanism. We’ve informed our partners in Cairo and the Egyptian authorities that we are ready to support all efforts aimed at relieving the people of the Gaza Strip and bringing in a medical delegation as soon as it becomes possible,” Sooliman told IOL.
While aid convoys are being allowed into Gaza, Israel continues to control access and limit who and what can be allowed. Aid agencies, including Gift of the Givers, are racing against time as famine and malnutrition take hold of the stricken Palestinian nation.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) earlier reported 500,000 children facing ‘acute malnutrition’ in Gaza. A figure, warns Sooliman, will increase if medical aid does not reach them quickly.
“We are joining our teams from around the world, ready to go in. In only three days since the ceasefire, approximately 200 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble and in remote areas. Due to the lack of equipment, there is difficulty in conducting rapid searches under the rubble. It’s also important to note that there are reports of more than 15,000 missing persons whose fate is unknown; they have either been martyred under the rubble or were detained by the occupation. Municipalities are focusing on opening roads, removing rubble, opening sewage networks, rehabilitating bakeries, and rehabilitating hospitals and health centres, and we will assist in all areas needed once there is a clear plan on getting in,” added Sooliman.
IOL
