Trauma in Gaza

DW: How would you describe the current humanitarian situation in Gaza?

Nada Doumani: Now the ceasefire is holding, but one has to remember that when hostilities stop it does not mean that things are all right. One has to remember that Gaza already was in a very difficult situation. The population is alienated and there is a very poor infrastructure in terms of basic services like water, electricity, access to medical services. This was already very fragile before the latest conflict. Now you have to imagine that you have some 400,000 people displaced; you have more than 16,000 either destroyed totally or partially damaged; you have more than 80 percent of homes without electricity. Medical staff is exhausted. The hostilities have stopped but there is a lot to do. There was already a lot to do before and now things have worsened with the latest conflict.

What is needed most urgently?

We are talking about access to water, electricity, generators for the hospitals that need fuel; people who have no place to go need shelter and basic food and non-food items. We have a problem of unexploded ordinance, which has killed several people, and that needs to be cleared. There is a lack of some medical items that need to be restocked in hospitals and the medical infrastructure. Not to forget, the trauma of people in Gaza. It's very traumatizing. And we shouldn't forget the people who suffer from chronic diseases. We tend to forget there are people who have to go to the hospital because they have kidney problems or heart problems, and they were somewhat forgotten during the conflict.

How well are local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) able to meet the needs of the situation?

I can only speak for the International Red Cross and it has been present since the beginning of the conflict. We were facing a major problem of access because of security. But we have been working very closely and giving our full support to the Palestine Red Crescent, whose efforts in the field we have to salute. We do have permanent teams of surgeons working alongside Palestinian surgeons in some hospitals, and we have provided medical equipment. We have a lot of work going on to restore power. We did some water trucking recently because of the difficulty accessing water and we have been repairing water pipes with the local and municipal authorities. We are also assisting with providing food and non-food items to people who have been displaced. There is also the very important activity of trying to confirm the identities of patients in hospitals with the Ministry of Health, trying to determine the identity of mortal remains, trying to track the movement of patients out of Gaza for treatment elsewhere in the West Bank. And you have the problem of missing people and you need to determine the identity of people. There is a lot of work to be done.

You mentioned the issue of security. Have aid personnel encountered hostilities?

Yes. Unfortunately some hospitals and ambulances have come under direct or indirect attack. This is, of course, prohibited by international law and all legal and humanitarian standards and we have condemned it on several occasions. We have also seen volunteers killed. This is all completely unacceptable to attack ambulances, hospitals or medical personnel.

Nada Doumani is a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.