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UMR HURTER reports on Dr Mads Gilbert’s press conference in Cape Town where he shared facts revealing the Israeli regime’s systematic attack on Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure.
DR MADS Gilbert, a world-renowned Norwegian anaesthesiologist, humanitarian, pro-Palestine activist, and politician, visited Cape Town on Monday, November 20, on the last stop of his countrywide speaking tour a guest of Salaamedia.
Dr Gilbert is the Head of the Emergency Medicine Department at the University Hospital of North Norway and an Emergency Medicine Professor at the University of Tromso.
Since the 1970s, Dr Gilbert has been actively involved in serving the Palestinian territories and Lebanon for Norwegian Aid Committee (NORWAC).
In November 2014, Israel announced that it had banned Dr Gilbert from entering Gaza for security reasons, and he was also prohibited from entering Israel itself.
In response, Dr Gilbert entered Gaza through the Egyptian Rafah border crossing.
During the press conference, Dr Gilbert unequivocally expressed where his allegiance rested during his hour-long presentation on the current healthcare crisis in Gaza.
In his talk titled ‘Gaza’s desperate man-made health crises,’ Dr Gilbert stunned the journalists and other attendees with a torrent of facts, clearly revealing the deliberate and systematic assault on the Gaza healthcare infrastructure by the Zionist Israeli Apartheid regime since October 8.
According to Dr Gilbert, he has never witnessed such a calculated and intentional campaign of terror in all his 40 years of volunteering and practising as a medical professional in Gaza.
Dr Mads also reiterated that there was absolutely no truth to the latest Israeli propaganda alleging that Al Shifa Hospital was used by Hamas as an underground military base.
‘I have worked at Al Shifa for the last 16 years, and not once did I see any military personnel on the grounds or in the hospital, certainly not any Hamas resistance fighters. There were definitely no underground tunnels or any suspicious activities at the hospital. If there were, I certainly would not work there, and neither would any of my colleagues. Many of the doors in the hospital even had signage clearly stating, “No firearms allowed!” This misinformation is part of the cleverly fabricated Zionist propaganda machine attempting to justify their ongoing terror and demoralising attacks on the Palestinian people.
‘Their aim is to crush any hope that Palestinians might have of being defended or cared for if they are injured while defending their country.
‘It is truly sadistic how the IDF not only seeks to decimate the proud people of Palestine through ruthless slaughter but also aims to psychologically erode their morale and fighting spirit.
‘It is simply atrocious, and what is even more distressing is that the Western world not only stands by and watches but actively supports Israel with arms and ammunition.
‘Naturally, children born into this regime will resort to throwing rocks, as that is all they have. But do they deserve to be shot and killed?’
When asked by Muslim Views whether the constant and ruthless killing of individual civilians appears to be a highly orchestrated military operation and if high-precision sniper drones are used on Palestinian civilians, Dr Gilbert responded, ‘Yes, absolutely. During the Second Intifada, children would gather at the border fence for a celebration- a festival of culture, music, and food. Some of the younger children would approach the fence, throwing stones and burning tyres. Then the Israeli snipers would very precisely target the ankles and elbows, not to kill but to inflict as much injury as possible. This tactic was referred to as “The Broken Bone Policy”.
‘Today, the IDF employs gamers who sit in drone control rooms in Tel Aviv. They fly over Gaza and target specific individuals, killing them from a considerable distance.
‘You will see the entrance wound is very small, but the exit wound ‘cauliflowers’ causing extensive damage requiring the expertise of various medical specialists to repair it.
‘In many, if not most, cases, we are forced to amputate limbs, as corrective surgery is simply not feasible.
‘What is even more disturbing is that these drone controllers boast about a ninety percent success hit rate.
‘This means that out of 100 people targeted, 90 have been killed, and out of 1000 people targeted, 900 have been killed.’
Since October 7, there have been 170 documented Israeli attacks on the healthcare system in the West Bank, including 139 ambulances.
A total of 95 attacks involved obstruction of healthcare delivery; 95 attacks involved physical violence towards healthcare teams; 23 attacks involved the detention of healthcare staff and ambulances; and 13 attacks involved the militarised search of healthcare assets.
On October 8, 2023, out of the 36 hospitals in Gaza, 34 were partially functioning and two were non-functioning.
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However, as of November 14, 2023, due to Israeli missile strikes, there are now only nine partially functioning hospitals and 27 non-functioning hospitals.
This article was first published in the December 8, 2023 print edition of Muslim Views.
