the girl and the soldiers
television and the war ... .........
Gaza wounds and new weapons - 02/22/2009 - from an article that appeared in The Lancet Share Today at 9:37
Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah and Dr Ang Swee - 'The Lancet' * Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah and Dr Ang Swee, two British surgeons are able to reach Gaza during the Israeli invasion. This article describes their experiences, share their views and draw the inevitable consequences: the population of Gaza is extremely vulnerable and totally helpless in front of a possible Israeli attack.
Gaza's wounds are deep and layered. We speak of Massacre of Khan Younis in 1956, in which 5 thousand people lost their lives? Or execution of 35 thousand prisoners of war by the Israeli army in 1967? And the first Intifada, in which civil disobedience of a people under occupation is answered with an incredible number of injuries and hundreds of deaths? Even more, we can not disregard the 5,420 wounded in southern Gaza during the hostilities of 2000. But despite all this, in this article we will only invasion that took place from 27 December 2008-18 January 2009.
It is estimated that in those 23 days, have been spilled over the Gaza Strip and a half million tons of explosives. To give a rough idea of what you are talking about, you should specify that the territory in question covers an area of \u200b\u200b360 square kilometers and is home to 1.5 million people: it is the most densely populated area of \u200b\u200bthe world. Before the invasion, has been starved for 50 days by a trade embargo but, in fact, since the election of the current government has been put under commercial rules. Over the years, the embargo has been partially or totally, but never absent. Employment
opened with 250 victims in one day. Each police station was bombed, causing heavy casualties among the security forces. After sweeping away the police, the Israeli army devoted themselves to non-government targets. Apache helicopters and F-16s have caused it to rain death from above, while the guns of the Navy conducted an attack from the sea and artillery took care of the earth. Many schools have been reduced to rubble, including the American School of Gaza, 40 mosques, some hospitals, a number of UN buildings and of course 21 thousand houses, of which 4 thousand were destroyed. Approximately 100 thousand people have suddenly become homeless. The Israeli weapons
armaments used in addition to bombs and conventional high explosives, also include non-conventional types. Have been identified at least four categories:
phosphorous bombs and bullets
Eyewitnesses say several bombs exploded at high altitude, releasing a wide range of micro-phosphorus bombs that were distributed over a large area. During the invasion by land, the tanks were accustomed to break down the walls of ordinary houses with bullets and then firing at them with phosphorus shells. This method allows you to unleash terrible fire in the building, and a large number of charred bodies were found covered with particles of phosphorus glow. One area of \u200b\u200bconcern is posed by the fact that the residues found mixed with a stabilizing agent seem special, which confers the ability not completely burn up to extinction. The residues of phosphorus still cover the countryside, playgrounds and apartments. It rekindled when curious children collect them, or produce toxic fumes when farmers watering their contaminated land. A family returned to his garden after the hostilities, has watered the ground and was incorporated by a blanket of smoke emitted from the ground. The simple inhalation produced epistaxis. These compounds of phosphorus are treated with a stabilizer, in a sense, a similar anti-personnel mines. Because of this constant threat, the population (especially children) have difficulty returning to a normal life.
From hospitals, surgeons tell of cases where, after a primary laparotomy for relatively small wounds with minimal contamination, a second surgery showed increasing areas of necrosis after a period of 3 days. Subsequently, the patient's general health deteriorated and, within 10 days, require a third intervention, which highlights a massive liver necrosis. This phenomenon is sometimes accompanied by profuse bleeding, kidney failure, stroke and death. Although acidosis, necrosis of the liver and stop sudden cardiac arrest (due to hypocalcemia) are typical complications in victims of white phosphorus can not be attributed solely to the work of this agent.
is necessary to analyze and identify the true nature This phosphorus and changed its long-term effects on the population of Gaza. It is also urgent to the collection and disposal of radioactive phosphorus on the surface of the entire region. These substances give off toxic fumes on contact with water: the first rain could poison the entire Gaza Strip. Children should learn to recognize and avoid these hazardous wastes.
The use of heavy bombs bombs DIME (Dense Inert Metal Explosives) is evident, although it has not been clearly determined whether it was used depleted uranium in the south. In urban areas, the survivors show amputations due to DIME. These wounds are easily recognizable because the stumps do not bleed and the cut is clean, a guillotine. The shell casings and shrapnel of DIME are extremely heavy.
bomb implosion
Among the weapons used, there are also the bunker-buster bombs and implosion. There are cases, such as the Science & Technology Building, or the Islamic University of Gaza, where an eight-storey building was reduced to a pile of debris no bigger than five feet.
silent bomb
The population of Gaza has described a new type of weapon from the devastating effects. Comes in the form of silent projectile, or at least preceded by a whistle, and vaporizes everything that is in large areas without a trace consistent. We do not know how to categorize this technology, but it can be assumed to be a new weapon to make particles of experimentation.
Executions
Survivors tell of Israeli tanks that, having stopped in front of the apartment, telling residents to leave. Usually, the first to obey were children, the elderly and women. That, just as quickly, they were lined up and shot them. Dozens of families have been disrupted in this way. In the past month, the deliberate murder of unarmed women and children was also confirmed by human rights activists.
Deleting ambulances
least 13 ambulances were victims shootings. The drivers and nurses have been fired while recovering and evacuating the wounded.
Cluster bombs
The first victims of cluster bombs were admitted to the hospital Abu Yousef Najjar. More than half of the tunnels of Gaza were destroyed, rendering useless most of the physical facilities for the circulation of commodities. Contrary to popular belief, are not deposits in these tunnels for weapons (though they may have been used to smuggle arms), but for food and fuel. The excavation of new tunnels, which now takes up a good number of Palestinians, has sometimes triggered cluster bombs on the ground. This type of bomb was used at the Rafah border already severe burns and five were taken to hospital after the explosion of these traps.
count of the dead
At January 25, 2009, the death toll has reached 1350. The number is constantly rising due to the amount of serious injuries that continue to die in hospitals. 60% of the dead are children. Serious injuries
The number of serious injuries is 5,450, with 40% of children. This is mostly for patients with burns or traumas. Those who have suffered fractures to one leg and those who, although injured, are still able to walk, were not included in this count.
In our discussions with nurses and doctors, the words "holocaust" and "catastrophe" were often mentioned. Medical staff to complete bears the signs of psychological trauma due to hectic work last month, the past to deal with the masses who filled the morgues and operating rooms. Many of the patients died in the Accident and Emergency Department, even before the diagnosis. In a district hospital, the orthopedic surgeon has completed 13 external fixations in less than a day.
It is estimated that among the seriously injured, 1,600 are likely to remain disabled for life. Among these, many have suffered amputations, spinal injuries, head injuries, extensive burns with disfiguring contractures.
Special factors
During the invasion, the number of dead and wounded was particularly high because of the following reasons: *
Nowhere to run: Gaza has been sealed by Israeli troops, who prevented anyone from escaping by bombing and land invasion. Simply, there was no escape. Even within the borders of Gaza to travel from north to south have been made impossible by the Israeli tanks that have cut off all avenues of communication. Unlike the war in Lebanon and 82 of '06, in which people could move from areas of heavy bombardment to those of their security, an option that type was blocked in Gaza.
* The density of the population of Gaza is exceptional. E 'disquieting to note that the bombs used by the Israeli army are "high precision". Their success rate in downtown buildings crowded, is 100%. Other examples? The central market, police stations, schools, UN buildings (where the inhabitants were merged to escape the bombing), mosques (of which 40 were razed to the ground) and the homes of families, convinced be safe because of their non-combatants were afflicted. In condominiums, a single implosion bomb is enough to wipe out dozens of families. This tendency to target civilians makes us suspect that the military objectives are considered target side, while the objective the population.
* The quantity and quality of the ammunition described above and how they were used.
* The lack of defenses that Gaza has shown towards the modern Israeli weapons. The region does not have tanks, warplanes, no anti-aircraft system to be deployed against the invading army. We have witnessed firsthand the exchange of bullets from an Israeli tank and AK47 Palestinians. The forces were, to say the least, you learn.
The absence of functional bomb shelters available to the civilian population. Unfortunately, even if there were no match against the Israeli bunker-buster.
Conclusion If you take into consideration the following points, it is obvious that a further invasion of Gaza would cause catastrophic damage. The population is vulnerable and helpless. If the international community seeks to prevent injuries and mass killings in the near future, have to develop some defense force for Gaza. If this does not happen, civilians continue to die.
Original article: The Wounds of Gaza, "The Lancet - Global Health Network," February 2, 2009. Translated by Massimo Spiga
for Megachip.
* "The Lancet medical journal is the più autorevole del mondo
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