Red Cross: Israel’s use of live fire in Gaza triggered ‘unprecedented’ crisis

The use of live ammunition by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip “has left health workers struggling to cope with an unprecedented crisis, with more than 13,000 wounded, a senior Red Cross official said Monday”, reported AFP.

Robert Mardini, head of Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told reporters that the “vast majority” of the 13,000 hospitalised protesters had suffered severe wounds, including multiple gunshot wounds.

“This is I think a crisis of unprecedented magnitude in the Gaza Strip,” said Mardini.

NGO: Israel ‘policy’ of using live fire on Palestinian demonstrators

According to reports, “the Red Cross is planning to open a new 50-bed surgery unit at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital to help deal with the surge in gunshot wounds.”

AFP added that “some 1,400 patients have been hit by three to five bullets, many in the legs, which require several complex orthopaedic and reconstructive surgeries.”

“The wounded caseload from the seven weeks of protest had surpassed that of the 2014 war,” the report further noted.