“This is a war against children. In Gaza, which is one of the world’s most densely populated areas, there are over one million children. Almost 4,000 have already been killed. A Palestinian child is killed every eight minutes in Gaza.” It is so incredibly heartbreaking to read the updates coming from the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS). Eyewitness accounts from doctors caring for injured children and adults bring the war very close. It is painful. Very painful.

IM supports PMRS, an organization founded in 1979 by Palestinian doctors and health workers. Normally, PMRS staff work to provide primary care in Gaza and the West Bank. It has now mobilized 17 mobile medical teams that work with emergency medical care and offer health care services to refugee camps (including 90 UNRWA refugee camps) and other health centers. In addition, the organization runs two health centers in Jabalya and Gaza City, where general practitioners, gynecologists, health and social workers, psychologists and physiotherapists work. Overall, the PMRS teams cover northern Gaza, Gaza City, Khan Younes and Rafah in the south. But the staff work with their lives at stake:

“Several of our staff have been injured, one of them had to have his leg amputated,” says an employee from PMRS.

Advanced emergency care at the front lines

The infrastructure for healthcare is almost wiped out in Gaza. 20 hospitals have been damaged, 24 ambulances have been attacked, over 1/3 of all hospitals in Gaza have been completely closed and there is an acute shortage of medical equipment and blood. Through their mobile teams, PMRS is mobile and flexible and can provide care where the need is greatest, and they can also provide relief to other healthcare facilities.

The emergency teams work at the frontline where they provide advanced first aid, which includes, among other things, treating gunshot and crush injuries, performing emergency amputations, treating psychological trauma and providing emergency care to premature babies and performing deliveries. According to PMRS, there are currently over 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza who are due to give birth soon or are at risk of giving birth prematurely due to the ongoing stress and trauma.

Hygiene kits, medicine and activities for children

The mobile emergency teams also distribute hygiene kits containing, among other things, menstrual protection and sanitary products, as well as first-aid kits with basic products to take care of simpler injuries. The teams also make home visits and distribute medicine. Despite the urgent situation, the teams are also working to organize activities for children and young people in the refugee camps to distract, calm and give a streak of joy in the dark.

How you can help

M now supports PMRS with all proceeds from our emergency fundraiser going towards their work. There are still some local warehouses that PMRS can buy equipment from. We will also make sure that ¬– as soon as it is possible – they can buy the things they need, both for the emergency teams and the health centers. Here are some examples:

• Medicines, including pain relievers, anesthetics and antibiotics
• Oxygen machines
• Bandages and medical instruments
• Stretchers
• Fuel for generators
• Food packages
• Nappies, baby food, children’s clothes and blankets
• Sanitary products

You can contribute by donating to our emergency fundraiser. If you are in Sweden, use this link. If you are abroad, use this link and write “Gaza” in your donation.