Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC) 14 June 2003
Following on from yesterdays attack on the village of Deir Ghassaneh, where the Israeli occupying army surrounded and entered the village, declared a curfew, buried alive villagers, and shot and arrested other villagers, we now have an update to the attacks.
The Israeli occupying army stopped a Palestine Medical Relief Ambulance at gunpoint. The soldiers got into the ambulance and forced the team at gunpoint, to drive around the village. The soldiers used the cover of the ambulance to try and arrest people. After 20 minutes, the ambulance team refused to carry on and announced that they would rather be shot, than be forced to help the soldiers arrest the villagers. The soldiers threatened them by saying that if the ambulance team revealed that the soldiers were in the ambulance, then they would shoot them. The soldiers also confiscated the Identification Cards of the ambulance team. Since yesterday, the ambulance team have not been given their ID’s back, despite numerous appeals being made to the army by Israeli Physicians for Human Rights. Without their ID’s the team are unable to function.
As part of the punishment, the Israeli occupying army arrested Palestine Medical Relief Doctor, Dr Nadim Barghouthi and Mr Yunis Dahoud, Deputy Mayor of the village. Both were arrested whilst in their homes. As of yet, we have not been told where they are being detained.
The Israeli occupying army also blew open the door of the Palestine Medical Relief Clinic in Deir Ghassaneh. Besides exploding the door, they destroyed one of the walls, and created a lot of destruction in the clinic.
Palestine Medical Relief calls on all humanitarian, human rights and health organizations to deplore these actions which violate the principals of medical neutrality. Please demand the release of Dr Nadim Barghouthi and Mr Yunis Dahoud, demand the return of the ID’s to the ambulance team, and compensate the Palestine Medical Relief Clinic for all the damage caused. Palestine Medical Relief severely condemns these attacks, as they constitute a gross violation of International Law. This is a clear provocation by the Israeli occupying army who have already attacked Palestine Medical Relief Clinics in Nablus, Ramallah, Gaza and Jenin.
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