A good article showing what ill Gazans have to live through in the enclosed & occupied land.
There was a good Canadian-produced 2012 movie, "Inch'Allah," showing how a Canadian doctor sees the life on the Israeli side of the border & in the Palestinian territories. The movie starts with a Palestinian girl blowing herself up in an Israeli city. Now, we all know the Western newspapers always telling the world how suicide bombers killed so many innocent Israeli civilians. That's what the movie showed. But, the movie didn't stop there. It went back & then showed all the events which led to that specific suicide bombing.
In one of the scenes near the end, which really tested the sympathy of Canadian doctor, it is shown that how a pregnant Palestinian woman, who recently got the news that her husband has been sentenced to 20 years in an Israeli prison, is trying to get to a hospital where she can deliver her first child (& who will be the only thing she has any hope to live for, since her husband is now jailed for 2 decades), but the Israeli military is not letting her through. The Canadian doctor, who by the way, is a Canadian non-Muslim woman, is pleading with the Israeli military to let her through right away. She also has her doctor colleague, who is also her supervisor, & who is shown to be a European non-Muslim. Both are pleading as that pregnant girl is losing a lot of blood & needs to be hospitalized right away.
Of course, as you can imagine, that young woman gives birth in the car, steps away from the hospital. By the way, that hospital was not even across from a checkpoint. Israeli military just felt like closing access to that hospital that day. Anyway, as soon as baby is delivered, that Canadian woman cuts the umbilical cord & runs towards the military closure so to plead them, so they can let her through with the newborn. But, unfortunately, the newborn dies in her arms. That's the scene that any person, who is not biased towards Israel & watches it with an objective eye, will cry.
You can imagine what that young Palestinian woman has to live for, at that moment? What she has left to live for at that moment? Husband is imprisoned, rightly or wrongly. Her first newborn dies right after birth. Does she has anything to live for?
So, if she doesn't have anything to live for now, then what do you think she will do?
What people forget that nobody likes to die in this world. Everyone wants to live as long for as they can. But everyone also wants to live freely with his/her loved ones. Killing yourself requires a lot of courage & anger. It's not easy to blow yourself up. Heck, Islam strictly forbade Muslims from committing suicides. There is no reward for blowing yourself up.
I am not excusing suicide bombers from killing other innocent civilians, but what I am trying to say is that we, very easily, forget to ask what & why a person will blow themselves up. We, right away, start blaming religions & people, & start labelling them with such choice words, as "barbarians" & "uncivilized". Everyone loves life. But when a person has taken everything away from him/her & feel he/she has nothing to live for, & has no control whatsoever over his/her life, he/she will try to regain a modicum of control by blowing him/herself up.
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Residents of the Gaza Strip are facing tighter restrictions on obtaining medical care outside of the besieged coastal enclave, according to a recent monthly report issued by the World Health Organisation's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.
According to the report, the closure of the Rafah border with Egypt has "virtually eliminated access to specialised medical treatments outside of Gaza for private patients", while 20% of patients applying for permits to travel through Israel's Erez checkpoint for medical care last month were not approved.
Ashraf Alkdra, a spokesman for Gaza's health ministry, said restrictions on these border crossings have exacerbated the health conditions of Gazans living with chronic illness. "Increasingly, we are unable to provide them treatment," he said.
In 2006, after Hamas won elections & took power in Gaza, Israel imposed a strict embargo on the densely populated Palestinian territory. This embargo, coupled with 3 Israeli wars on Gaza since 2009, has affected the lives of everyone in Gaza. But those suffering from chronic illness face an added layer of hardship.
Dr. Akihiro Seita, the health department director of the United Nations Relief & Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), told Al Jazeera that chronic illnesses "are highly prevalent in Gaza", & that continued restrictions on the movement of Gaza's population worsen public health problems.
Given Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's recent electoral victory, & Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi labelling Hamas a terrorist organisation, it seems likely that Gaza's borders will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Fikr Shaltoot, Medical Aid Palestine's director of programmes in the Gaza Strip, concurred with Seita, explaining that the closed borders have severe consequences for those living with chronic illness.
"If the crossings were open, including the Rafah crossing, some medicine would be donated through international Arab organisations," Shaltoot said. "Also, [Palestinians] would have purchased Egyptian medication at a lower cost."
Drugs coming from Israel are far more expensive than what used to come through Rafah, she said, adding that their delivery also takes longer.
Speaking from a doctor's clinic near Khan Younis, Aisha Aborjela, a 57-year-old mother of four, told Al Jazeera that her hypertension & Type 2 diabetes cause her great difficulty in everyday life.
Her husband makes "barely enough" to provide for their family, despite workdays that last up to 14 hours, & Aborjela maintains the household in his absence.
"I am on my feet from sunrise to sunset," she told Al Jazeera. "The diabetes causes me to become very tired. There are times when I can't see, & I'm always hungry," Aborjela said, citing common symptoms of the chronic illness.
The United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) provides free medication for Gaza's refugees, who account for 1.2 of the more than 1.5 million people living there.
Although this has helped Aborjela, the living conditions in Gaza can lead to additional health problems: For example, the stress she experienced during the past 3 wars caused her blood pressure to rise for extended periods, which can lead to heart disease, a condition common in her family.
"During the last war, I was trapped inside Dr Qdeih's clinic for weeks. We were being bombed, & I was so worried about my family, I couldn't eat or sleep," Aborjela recalled. "Now, I worry that if I have heart problems, I won't be able to leave Gaza [for treatment]."
Gaza's long blackouts - there are 18 hours of scheduled electrical outages a day, due to lack of energy supplies & infrastructure damaged by Israeli bombings - also have major effects on public health, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ibrahim Arjela, 22, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last summer, during Israel's Operation Protective Edge offensive on Gaza. The insulin he must take daily to treat his condition requires constant refrigeration, stored between 2.2 & 7.8 degrees Celsius, for it to retain its effectiveness over long periods.
"When it's too hot, or too cold, it's useless. My electricity goes out for nearly 9 hours every day, so when it's hot outside I can't keep it cool. When it's cold, it doesn't stay warm enough," Arjela complained, adding that he often has to travel to the UNRWA centre in Gaza City to replace spoiled insulin, as temperatures in Gaza were uncharacteristically harsh this past winter, with 5 children reportedly dying as a result of cold & lack of shelter.
Compounding Gaza's public health problems is its food crisis, caused by years of siege. The price of chicken rose from 10 NIS ($2.83 US) to 15 NIS ($4.24 US) in August 2014, & both farmers & fishermen suffer from Israeli military attacks, making it difficult for Gazans to find fresh vegetables or fish.
Diabetics are advised to eat lean meats, fish & vegetables; & to stay away from foods high in carbohydrates, such as bread & rice, which are staples of the Palestinian diet.
But Seita, the UNRWA health department director, said the siege causes "people with diabetes to have no choice but unhealthy diet, e.g. they can only eat bread as it [is] subsidised".
Nevertheless, Arjela is hopeful that he will be able to adjust to the reality faced by him & other Gazans suffering from chronic illness. "I've got to work with what I've got. I'll figure it out," he concluded optimistically.
There was a good Canadian-produced 2012 movie, "Inch'Allah," showing how a Canadian doctor sees the life on the Israeli side of the border & in the Palestinian territories. The movie starts with a Palestinian girl blowing herself up in an Israeli city. Now, we all know the Western newspapers always telling the world how suicide bombers killed so many innocent Israeli civilians. That's what the movie showed. But, the movie didn't stop there. It went back & then showed all the events which led to that specific suicide bombing.
In one of the scenes near the end, which really tested the sympathy of Canadian doctor, it is shown that how a pregnant Palestinian woman, who recently got the news that her husband has been sentenced to 20 years in an Israeli prison, is trying to get to a hospital where she can deliver her first child (& who will be the only thing she has any hope to live for, since her husband is now jailed for 2 decades), but the Israeli military is not letting her through. The Canadian doctor, who by the way, is a Canadian non-Muslim woman, is pleading with the Israeli military to let her through right away. She also has her doctor colleague, who is also her supervisor, & who is shown to be a European non-Muslim. Both are pleading as that pregnant girl is losing a lot of blood & needs to be hospitalized right away.
Of course, as you can imagine, that young woman gives birth in the car, steps away from the hospital. By the way, that hospital was not even across from a checkpoint. Israeli military just felt like closing access to that hospital that day. Anyway, as soon as baby is delivered, that Canadian woman cuts the umbilical cord & runs towards the military closure so to plead them, so they can let her through with the newborn. But, unfortunately, the newborn dies in her arms. That's the scene that any person, who is not biased towards Israel & watches it with an objective eye, will cry.
You can imagine what that young Palestinian woman has to live for, at that moment? What she has left to live for at that moment? Husband is imprisoned, rightly or wrongly. Her first newborn dies right after birth. Does she has anything to live for?
So, if she doesn't have anything to live for now, then what do you think she will do?
What people forget that nobody likes to die in this world. Everyone wants to live as long for as they can. But everyone also wants to live freely with his/her loved ones. Killing yourself requires a lot of courage & anger. It's not easy to blow yourself up. Heck, Islam strictly forbade Muslims from committing suicides. There is no reward for blowing yourself up.
I am not excusing suicide bombers from killing other innocent civilians, but what I am trying to say is that we, very easily, forget to ask what & why a person will blow themselves up. We, right away, start blaming religions & people, & start labelling them with such choice words, as "barbarians" & "uncivilized". Everyone loves life. But when a person has taken everything away from him/her & feel he/she has nothing to live for, & has no control whatsoever over his/her life, he/she will try to regain a modicum of control by blowing him/herself up.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Residents of the Gaza Strip are facing tighter restrictions on obtaining medical care outside of the besieged coastal enclave, according to a recent monthly report issued by the World Health Organisation's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.
According to the report, the closure of the Rafah border with Egypt has "virtually eliminated access to specialised medical treatments outside of Gaza for private patients", while 20% of patients applying for permits to travel through Israel's Erez checkpoint for medical care last month were not approved.
Ashraf Alkdra, a spokesman for Gaza's health ministry, said restrictions on these border crossings have exacerbated the health conditions of Gazans living with chronic illness. "Increasingly, we are unable to provide them treatment," he said.
In 2006, after Hamas won elections & took power in Gaza, Israel imposed a strict embargo on the densely populated Palestinian territory. This embargo, coupled with 3 Israeli wars on Gaza since 2009, has affected the lives of everyone in Gaza. But those suffering from chronic illness face an added layer of hardship.
Dr. Akihiro Seita, the health department director of the United Nations Relief & Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), told Al Jazeera that chronic illnesses "are highly prevalent in Gaza", & that continued restrictions on the movement of Gaza's population worsen public health problems.
Given Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's recent electoral victory, & Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi labelling Hamas a terrorist organisation, it seems likely that Gaza's borders will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Fikr Shaltoot, Medical Aid Palestine's director of programmes in the Gaza Strip, concurred with Seita, explaining that the closed borders have severe consequences for those living with chronic illness.
"If the crossings were open, including the Rafah crossing, some medicine would be donated through international Arab organisations," Shaltoot said. "Also, [Palestinians] would have purchased Egyptian medication at a lower cost."
Drugs coming from Israel are far more expensive than what used to come through Rafah, she said, adding that their delivery also takes longer.
Speaking from a doctor's clinic near Khan Younis, Aisha Aborjela, a 57-year-old mother of four, told Al Jazeera that her hypertension & Type 2 diabetes cause her great difficulty in everyday life.
Her husband makes "barely enough" to provide for their family, despite workdays that last up to 14 hours, & Aborjela maintains the household in his absence.
"I am on my feet from sunrise to sunset," she told Al Jazeera. "The diabetes causes me to become very tired. There are times when I can't see, & I'm always hungry," Aborjela said, citing common symptoms of the chronic illness.
The United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) provides free medication for Gaza's refugees, who account for 1.2 of the more than 1.5 million people living there.
Although this has helped Aborjela, the living conditions in Gaza can lead to additional health problems: For example, the stress she experienced during the past 3 wars caused her blood pressure to rise for extended periods, which can lead to heart disease, a condition common in her family.
"During the last war, I was trapped inside Dr Qdeih's clinic for weeks. We were being bombed, & I was so worried about my family, I couldn't eat or sleep," Aborjela recalled. "Now, I worry that if I have heart problems, I won't be able to leave Gaza [for treatment]."
Gaza's long blackouts - there are 18 hours of scheduled electrical outages a day, due to lack of energy supplies & infrastructure damaged by Israeli bombings - also have major effects on public health, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ibrahim Arjela, 22, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last summer, during Israel's Operation Protective Edge offensive on Gaza. The insulin he must take daily to treat his condition requires constant refrigeration, stored between 2.2 & 7.8 degrees Celsius, for it to retain its effectiveness over long periods.
"When it's too hot, or too cold, it's useless. My electricity goes out for nearly 9 hours every day, so when it's hot outside I can't keep it cool. When it's cold, it doesn't stay warm enough," Arjela complained, adding that he often has to travel to the UNRWA centre in Gaza City to replace spoiled insulin, as temperatures in Gaza were uncharacteristically harsh this past winter, with 5 children reportedly dying as a result of cold & lack of shelter.
Compounding Gaza's public health problems is its food crisis, caused by years of siege. The price of chicken rose from 10 NIS ($2.83 US) to 15 NIS ($4.24 US) in August 2014, & both farmers & fishermen suffer from Israeli military attacks, making it difficult for Gazans to find fresh vegetables or fish.
Diabetics are advised to eat lean meats, fish & vegetables; & to stay away from foods high in carbohydrates, such as bread & rice, which are staples of the Palestinian diet.
But Seita, the UNRWA health department director, said the siege causes "people with diabetes to have no choice but unhealthy diet, e.g. they can only eat bread as it [is] subsidised".
Nevertheless, Arjela is hopeful that he will be able to adjust to the reality faced by him & other Gazans suffering from chronic illness. "I've got to work with what I've got. I'll figure it out," he concluded optimistically.
