January, 07 2009, 03:18pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Middle East Children's Alliance,1101 Eighth Street, Suite 100,Berkeley, CA 94710 US,Phone: (510) 548-0542,meca@mecaforpeace.org
As Israel Breaks Ceasefire, US Nonprofit Sends $1.6 Million of Medicine and Medical Supplies for Children in Gaza
The Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) Founder and Director
Barbara Lubin is en route for Cairo to accompany
an emergency medical shipment to Gaza.
"MECA's emergency shipment is a concrete way to show our support for children
and families in Gaza.
But as people living in the United
States, we must continue to increase pressure on our own government to
stop providing the weapons that have killed nearly 700 people in the last 12
days."
WASHINGTON
The Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) Founder and Director
Barbara Lubin is en route for Cairo to accompany
an emergency medical shipment to Gaza.
"MECA's emergency shipment is a concrete way to show our support for children
and families in Gaza.
But as people living in the United
States, we must continue to increase pressure on our own government to
stop providing the weapons that have killed nearly 700 people in the last 12
days."
The
death toll continues to rise in Gaza as Israel attacks
from the land, air, and sea. This morning Israel
hit a playground in Gaza
City killing four and
injuring eight. Medical sources report that at least four more people died
after sustaining injuries in yesterday's attack on a UN school sheltering
families. But the devastation goes beyond the numbers.
Mohammed, a MECA volunteer living in Jabalya Refugee Camp
in Gaza, has seen countless children killed in the streets and has witnessed
homes demolished by Israeli air strikes with entire families still inside. By
phone, he stated, "I don't have the words to describe what I am seeing and
experiencing. I hope that people all
over the world will make Israel
stop. My family is out of bread and nearly out of food but there is no where to
go to replenish our supplies and, like most people in Gaza, we are too afraid
to venture out of he house." His
brother, a nurse at a Gaza
hospital, has not been home for days, as there are too many injured people
received each hour and it's too dangerous to move from area to area.
Dr. Mona El-Farra, MECA's Director of Gaza Projects, is in
Cairo procuring emergency medicine and medical
equipment which will be donated to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza. Her colleagues in Gaza have reported that
their operating rooms are bare. MECA is sending $100,000 of basic supplies like
sutures, anesthetic drugs, and orthopedic drills as well as $1.5 million of
medications for children and infants that MECA was able to purchase at a
reduced cost through Medical Teams International.
Dr. El-Farra reports that 9 ambulances and 3 fire engines
have been destroyed and 15 Palestinian emergency workers have been killed.
"Every day I talk to friends, family, and colleagues who are afraid for
their lives. When Israel
fired at the UN school yesterday, they showed the world that no one is safe in Gaza. I keep thinking of
the children that MECA supports through our four partner centers in Gaza. An unknown number
of them are victims of the attacks and all of them have been traumatized by the
violence."
Israel agreed to stop firing on Gaza for three hours each day to allow
aid agencies to deliver food and other basic goods. But they have
already violated this agreement by killing three sisters in Jabalya
Refugee Camp this afternoon.
To
help MECA send more medical aid to Gaza
for thousands of sick and injured people living under siege, visit www.mecaforpeace.org
The Middle East Children's Alliance is a nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East. MECA supports dozens of community projects for Palestinian children and refugees from Syria. Since 1988 we have delivered $27 million in food and medical aid to Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon. MECA welcomes the support of all people who care about children and their future.
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