Israeli occupation forces detain three doctors: PRCS
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While one of them was released, two are still in custody, with their whereabouts unknown.
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A convoy of Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances is seen evacuating the injured in the Gaza Strip on February 23, 2024, Gaza (@PalestineRCS)
Three doctors who are members of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) were detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the past 24 hours, the medical organization announced on Monday.
While one of them was released, two are still in custody, the organization said in a statement on X. They added that the arrests occurred as they were evacuating 24 injured patients from Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis.
"All medics were forced out of their vehicles and made to sit on the ground, while three of them were detained and taken to an unknown location after being stripped of their clothes. The occupation released one of them after midnight, while the detention of medics Jihad Aslim and Ramadan Ashour has continued since yesterday evening," the statement read.
Read more: UNRWA Chief: Emerging famine in Gaza a 'man-made disaster'
Despite that the evacuation of the injured was coordinated with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the IOF still maintained the convoy at the roadblock for seven hours, the statement added.
"Despite pre-coordination by the United Nations convoy team and their escort, the occupation obstructed the convoy’s passage for approximately 7 hours at the military checkpoint west of the Al-Amal neighborhood," the statement adds.
"All medics were forced out of their vehicles and made to sit on the ground, while three of them were detained and taken to an unknown location after being stripped of their clothes. The occupation released one of them after midnight, while the detention of medics Jihad Aslim and Ramadan Ashour has continued since yesterday evening," the statement further read.
With prior coordination and accompanied by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Palestine Red Crescent ambulance teams successfully evacuated 24 individuals from Al-Amal Hospital yesterday. Among them were 18 patients and wounded… pic.twitter.com/MLrhYNCRDF
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 26, 2024
As part of "Israel's" genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip, the IOF has committed several crimes of the likes, namely the targeting of NGO staffers and operations, including blocking the entry of aid into the Strip, bombing ambulances, and alleging NGOs of collaborating with resistance forces to initiate a defunding campaign.
On February 18, images surfaced from the PRCS organization, displaying signs of torture inflicted on two Palestinian doctors who were arrested by the IOF earlier this month.
The #Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) shared images of two Palestinian doctors who were arrested a week ago from Al-Amal Hospital by Israeli soldiers, subjected to torture, physical assault, and humiliation before being released on Friday.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 18, 2024
"The Israeli occupation detained… pic.twitter.com/WIvhariTD3
Israeli aggression impedes NGO work
At a press briefing held by multiple NGOs earlier this week, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Refugees International, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and other groups, Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, stated that Israeli strikes have made it "virtually impossible" for humanitarian organizations to operate safely within Gaza.
"People, mostly at this point in the north, are already right on the brink of famine," Konyndyk said. "The risk here, if there is not a meaningful humanitarian operation allowed to operate in an unfettered way at scale throughout Gaza, is famine."
"And that famine will occur not because of any natural phenomenon but simply because of the manner in which this war is being conducted and the persistent and intentional denials of humanitarian access principally by the Israeli government."
Konyndyk also highlighted that the idea of safely evacuating the population of Rafah is a "mirage," as there are no other safe destinations available for them.
Documents shared exclusively by the UN and CNN's analysis revealed on February 21 that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened fire on a UN convoy carrying vital humanitarian aid in central Gaza, eventually blocking the trucks' trajectory to the north, where Palestinians are on the verge of famine.
