Latest news with #MedicalAidForPalestinians
Arab News
2 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
British surgeon in Gaza describes wounded Palestinians dying due to malnutrition
LONDON: Palestinians being treated in one of Gaza's few remaining hospitals are dying from their wounds because they are so malnourished, a British doctor working in the territory said. Professor Nick Maynard, a consultant gastrointestinal surgeon, who is on his third stint volunteering in the territory since the war started, said he is seeing unprecedented levels of severe malnutrition. 'The malnutrition I'm seeing here is indescribably bad. It's much, much worse now than a year ago,' Maynard, who is based at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, said. UNICEF chief Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that acute malnutrition among children in Gaza had almost tripled after Israel imposed an 11-week blockade on food aid to the territory in March. A post shared by Medical Aid for Palestinians (@medicalaidpal) Maynard said malnutrition levels were directly contributing to preventable deaths among patients receiving surgery. He said those injured in Israel's military attacks were dying because being malnourished prevents proper healing. 'The repairs that we carry out fall to pieces; patients get terrible infections and they die,' Maynard, who is volunteering with Medical Aid for Palestinians, said. 'I have had so many patients die because they can't get enough food to recover, it's distressing to see that and know that it is preventable and treatable.' Maynard said babies in Nasser's neonatal unit have been particularly affected, with four recent infant deaths blamed on malnutrition. The surgeon said he had been reduced to tears by the state of the children he has seen. 'I saw a seven-month-old who looked like a newborn,' Maynard said. 'The expression 'skin and bones' doesn't do it justice. We have almost no liquid or intravenous feeds — children are being given essentially 10 percent sugar water, which is not proper nutritional support.' Maynard said he had even seen the effects of malnutrition in his Palestinian colleagues, who were barely recognizable from when he had worked with them a year ago. He said many had lost 20-30kg due to the food shortages. Israel's blockade of Gaza lead to widespread warnings that the territory could descend into a state of famine. Surgeon Nick Maynard is on his third visit to Gaza since the war started. He said the levels of severe malnutrition are unprecedented. (MAP) In her briefing to the security council, UNICEF's Russell said that of the more than 113,000 children screened for malnutrition in June, almost 6,000 were found to be acutely malnourished — an 180 percent increase in acute malnutrition cases compared to February. 'Children in Gaza are enduring catastrophic living conditions, including severe food insecurity and malnutrition,' she said. Maynard, who is usually based at Oxford University Hospital, has been traveling to volunteer in Gaza with MAP for more than 10 years. While on his current posting, he has witnessed the daily arrival of Palestinians who have been shot while trying to access food aid through distribution hubs set up by the new Israeli- and US-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. 'We have hundreds of trauma casualties coming in every day, it's relentless,' he said. 'This is not only from Israeli military airstrikes and attacks, but we are also treating multiple gunshot wounds every day. 'These are mainly from the militarized distribution points, where starving civilians are going to try and get food but then report getting targeted by Israeli soldiers or quadcopters.' The surgeon said he had mostly been operating on boys aged 12 or 13 who had been sent to the aid hubs to get food for their families. 'A 12-year-old boy I was operating on died from his injuries on the operating table — he had been shot through the chest.' Maynard called on the international community to force Israel to allow the full flow of food and aid into Gaza, and to end the 'collective punishment' of the territory's population. 'The enforced malnutrition and attacks on civilians we are witnessing will kill many more thousands of people if not stopped,' he said.
Glasgow Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Fontaines DC lead Palestine chant during TRNSMT set
Performing on the main stage before headliners Biffy Clyro, the Irish group weren't shy in using their platform to raise awareness about the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel. (Image: Images by Gordon Terris, Newsquest) Grian led a free free Palestine chant after their tune, Bug, and the crowd quickly joined in as a sea of Palestine flags went up in the air. The Irish group had a Palestine flag draped over their equipment on stage and Carlos O'Connell had a free Palestine sticker on his guitar. (Image: Images by Gordon Terris, Newsquest) The pinnacle of the set was when the group performed I Love You from their album, Skinty Fia. Free Palestine appeared on the two big screens on either side of the stage as Grian belted the line 'Selling genocide' in the song's bridge and a Palestine flag appeared on the huge screen behind them. They also displayed the sign 'Israel is committing genocide, use your voice' during the song. It wasn't long before the crowd led their own free Palestine chant. (Image: Images by Gordon Terris, Newsquest) We reported earlier today that fans of the band were all wearing a Dublin Bohemians FC's footie top which has the band's logo emblazoned on it. It is a one-off edition designed by guitarist Carlos O'Connell. The design, which is a third alternative jersey, raised funds for Medical Aid For Palestinians (MAP) when it was released last year. The top is also a homage to the band's award-winning fourth album Romance. (Image: Images by Gordon Terris, Newsquest) Fontaines played an incredible set this evening, with strong choices from each of their albums. Before playing Favourite from their new album Romance, Grian dedicated the song to Glasgow, revealing the city is the band's home away from home. He added: "We love you." (Image: Images by Gordon Terris, Newsquest) (Image: Images by Gordon Terris, Newsquest) After finishing the set with Starburster, the band left the stage as Grian stayed behind. Taking to the mic one last time, he said: "Cheers Glasgow. Free Palestine."
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gaza Hospital Director Killed in Israeli Airstrike
Injured Palestinians being transported to receive treatment after a separate airstrike on the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, July 2. Credit - Dawoud Abo Alkas - Getty Images Dr. Marwan Sultan, the director of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday, according to relatives and the Gaza Health Ministry. The doctor was killed alongside his wife, sister, daughter and son-in-law when a missile hit the apartment where the family where staying, his surviving daughter Lobna said. 'A missile was dropped on his room exactly, on his place, on him precisely. All the rooms were fine except for his; the missile hit it precisely,' she added. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement to TIME that it struck a 'key Hamas terrorist' on Wednesday during an operation in Gaza City. 'The claim that as a result of the strike uninvolved civilians were harmed is being reviewed. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to mitigate harm to them as much as possible,' it said. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) condemned the death, describing Sultan as 'a dedicated medical professional who had worked under unimaginable conditions to provide care to patients trying to survive months of Israel's military bombardment and blockade.' MAP says that the number of healthcare workers killed in Gaza has now reached at least 1,580 since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. 'Despite being protected under international law, Gaza's healthcare workers are being erased before the world's eyes,' MAP said in a statement in response to Sultan's death on Wednesday. Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), a Gaza-based organization, said that Sultan's death brings the number of healthcare workers killed by Israeli airstrikes to 50 over the past 70 days. The Indonesian Hospital, which Sultan managed, was forced to close in May after 'repeated Israeli attacks and sustained structural damage,' according to the United Nations. Sultan had at the time described the Israeli attacks as a 'direct targeting of the hospital, including the intensive care unit.' The World Health Organization (WHO) last month said that there were no more functioning hospitals left in northern Gaza, with the health system across the whole of the strip 'collapsing.' The deterioration of the enclave's health system comes with repeated strikes targeting hospitals. WHO said patients sheltering in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital, Deir al-Balah, were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, adding that it has documented 734 attacks on health facilities in Gaza since the start of the war. Read more: State Department Bans Rap Duo Bob Vylan From U.S. After 'Death to IDF' Chant at Glastonbury The International Committee for the Red Cross said that it is 'alarmed by the intensifying hostilities' in Gaza and that its Field Hospital is overwhelmed as a result. The ICRC urgently reiterates its call for the protection of medical personnel and medical facilities in Gaza. They must be respected and protected to safeguard a lifeline for the wounded and sick,' a statement read. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 118 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours, bringing the total deaths in Gaza to over 57,000 since the start of the war. The ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies in the absence of independent monitoring on the ground. The war was triggered after the Hamas terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Contact us at letters@
