On Friday Palestinians carried a young man’s body over the walls of a Jerusalem hospital in a bloody sheet soon after he was pronounced dead in order to keep Israeli security forces from seizing the body. Israeli forces have made it a practice to occupy the hospital, which is in occupied territory. What follows is an appeal published five days ago by Al Makassed Islamic Charity Society Hospital in East Jerusalem to the world: “Makassed appeals to international organisations to intervene immediately so as to provide the Hospital with protection following its storming by occupation forces.”
Jerusalem – 18-7-2017: The administration of Makassed Islamic Charitable Society Hospital in Jerusalem issues an urgent appeal calling on all international bodies and humanitarian organisations to intervene in order to protect the Hospital following on-going raids by Israeli occupation forces since yesterday. A reinforced unit of the Israeli occupation police and security guards are still roaming Hospital corridors under the pretext of looking for injured Palestinians admitted to the Hospital’s intensive care unit.
The administration states in its appeal that the Israeli occupation forces have surrounded Makassed since yesterday evening, while a number of soldiers are still standing guard outside the surgical recovery unit, obstructing the work of the Hospital’s medical staff, in addition to impeding the entry of patients’ companions, as well as checking the identity cards and permits of staff and Hospital visitors.
Makassed’s administration stresses that the occupation forces’ intimidation of patients, their companions and medical staff is a serious and flagrant violation of international humanitarian laws and conventions, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and calls on all international and human rights organizations to intervene urgently to protect East Jerusalem hospitals and the wounded.
The Hospital’s administration has also begun working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to intervene quickly and immediately and put an end to the chaos caused by the raids carried out by the Israeli occupation forces inside the Hospital’s grounds and premises.
Thanks to Ofer Neiman.
