Nov 17, 2023 at 9:38 PM Update: 7 hours ago
NU.nl regularly gives you an overview of the situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. This time: the Netherlands sends a naval ship with resources. In addition, Israel is again supplying limited fuel to the Gaza Strip, which has partly restored telephony and internet there.
Developments in Israel and the Palestinian Territories are following each other in rapid succession. We therefore regularly list recent events. Subscribe to the tag ‘Gaza conflict update’ to receive a notification when we post another overview like this.
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The Dutch naval ship Zr. Ms. Holland left Den Helder for the eastern part of the Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defense reports. According to Defense, the ship, which is more than 100 meters long, takes about a week and a half to complete the journey.
The ship may then dock in Cyprus, but it could also wait at sea. Cyprus wants to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor to the Gaza Strip. The Dutch ship could then be used for evacuations or to provide other humanitarian aid.
The Netherlands also sends medical equipment and aids to Egypt, Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health) reported on Friday on X. The country is said to have requested it itself. The aids and equipment are intended for people who have fled Gaza because of the war.
Kuipers’ spokesperson says that this involves forty monitors, five ultrasound machines and 250 oxygen concentrators. The European Emergency Aid Coordination Center ensures that the equipment and aids arrive in Egypt.
The items come from an emergency stock managed by the Netherlands, which is supplemented with European money. According to the minister’s spokesperson, it is currently “difficult to say” how much money is involved.
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Dutch naval ship leaves for conflict in the Middle East
WHO wants seriously injured people in Gaza to be treated in Egypt
Health organization WHO wants the most seriously injured victims in Gaza to be taken to Egypt for treatment. Fifty to sixty people should cross the border every day, says Rik Peeperkorn of the organization.
According to Peeperkorn, the hospitals in Gaza cannot handle the care at the moment. Of the 36 hospitals, 11 are still running, and they are not functioning at full capacity. “This is clearly insufficient to provide sufficient support for the endless needs created by the conflict.”
According to Peeperkorn, by transferring the patients to Egypt, they can be helped better. Moreover, the hospitals in Gaza are thus relieved. Before the war, the area with more than two million inhabitants had approximately 3,500 hospital beds, but now only 1,400.
The WHO official estimates that around 5,000 beds are currently needed. He is also concerned about the outbreak of diseases such as respiratory infections, chicken pox, skin rashes and hepatitis A.
The situation in a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photo: AP
Israel will supply limited fuel to the Gaza Strip
The hospitals in the Gaza Strip are also virtually without power, reports the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. This is partly due to the urgent shortages of fuel, which has hardly been supplied since the start of the war.
The Israeli government decided on Friday at the insistence of the United States to deliver fuel to Gaza every two days. According to a US official, this amounts to 120,000 liters per 48 hours for UNRWA trucks, so they can provide clean drinking water and keep bakeries and hospitals running.
Another 20,000 liters per 48 hours is intended for the power generators of telecom company Paltel. That company previously warned of a massive blackout of telephone lines if there was not enough fuel. On Friday evening, the company reported that telephony and internet have been partly restored due to the delivery of fuel.
Several Israeli ministers are against it. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich writes on X that the decision is illegal. Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir states that the war cabinet is giving the enemy “humanitarian gifts” with the fuel deliveries.
2:37Play button
Israel shows evidence of Hamas in hospital, experts unconvinced
Israeli army continues to search Al Shifa hospital
Israeli soldiers continue to search the Al Shifa medical complex in central Gaza City. The hospital and other buildings around the complex have been targeted by the armed forces for three days. It states that there is a command center of the Hamas movement in tunnels under the complex. The hospital management and Hamas refute that.
News channel Al Jazeera reports that the hospital is now also experiencing the same problems as other hospitals. Authorities in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, say several adults and babies have already died due to a power shortage.
Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has suggested on a visit to Gaza that operations against the northern Gaza Strip are being completed. But he said more attacks are coming “in other areas”.
The United Nations has said it is disappointed that Israel is not heeding the UN Security Council’s call for quick and long humanitarian breaks from fighting.
The conflict explained
2023-11-17 20:38:00
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