AN INTERNATIONAL charity which aims to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians has published a detailed report on how it has helped the people from Gaza and outlined the immense suffering in the region.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), a charity which works to prevent Gaza from becoming completely uninhabitable since Israel's assault on the region which started a year ago, has thanked people who donated for their unwavering support to provide vital aid.
Since the war began on October 7 more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, and a further 97,000 have been injured, and 1.9 million people have been forced from their homes – often multiple times.
The National launched a fundraiser for Medical Aid for Palestinians back in March this year where our readers smashed the initial goal of £15,000 in just one day and helped raise a staggering £120,000 in total.
The charity has published a recent report highlighting how these vital funds have helped to provide crucial aid for Palestinians over the last year.
Since October 2023, MAP has distributed over $10m worth of humanitarian aid, working in collaboration with the Health Cluster and the Ministry of Health (MoH).
In the north of Gaza, where other operational partners have been unable to operate due to the severity of the bombardment, MAP has been able to organise the distribution of an additional $3 million worth of food and non-food items.
MAP has also deployed nine Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) in Gaza with the teams including specialists in general surgery, vascular care, orthopaedics, obstetrics, gynaecology, and anaesthetics.
The medical teams are helping to provide crucial support to local healthcare workers who have been overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis.
Operating out of Al Aqsa Hospital, Nasser Medical Complex, and the European Gaza Hospital, MAP’s dedicated EMTs have already conducted more than 1832 consultations and performed 567 life-saving surgeries.
Since February 2024 MAP has worked with local and international partners to provide essential primary and secondary healthcare services to more than 50,000 people through 15 medical points across Gaza.
The charity explained that these medical points are lifelines, offering primary healthcare services such as antenatal care, sexual and reproductive health, treatment for communicable diseases, and the provision of assistive devices.
MAP is also supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) with the polio vaccination campaign to provide vaccinations to protect more than 640,000 children.
Collaborating with multiple other healthcare bodies, MAP has begun reactivating health facilities that have sustained wide-scale damage.
Committed to rebuilding vital infrastructure, MAP has focused on the reactivation of Nasser Medical Complex and the refurbishment of Al Shifa Hospital.
MAP helped to transform the badly damaged Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department into a functioning surgical and general medicine ward with 120 beds, seven ICU beds, and six operating theatres – creating a space where lives can be saved, and futures restored.
The health charity said the tireless efforts of its colleagues in Gaza have allowed it to not only restore vital services but also gather critical data that highlights the most urgent needs of Gaza’s healthcare system – leading to a more impactful response.
It added that it has extended its aid efforts to those who have been affected by Israel’s repeated attacks in Lebanon.
As of October 4, the Ministry of Health reported that the Israeli military has killed at least 1974 and injured more than 9384.
Israel's bombardment has also killed at least 77 healthcare workers and severely damaged critical medical infrastructure including hospitals, health centres, and ambulances.
Israel’s bombardment on Gaza has been in retaliation to the October 7, attacks where Hamas gunmen launched an assault on southern Israel.
The attacks killed 1200 people with around 250 others taken hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli reports.
For anyone looking to donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians they can do so here.
