Last week’s arson attack in Duma, which killed an 18-month-old baby and left his parents and brother in a critical condition, is just the latest in an escalating trend of violent attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers. Initial treatment for the family was provided at the Burns Unit at Rafidiya Hospital in Nablus, which was established and equipped with support from MAP.
There are 125 Israeli government-sanctioned settlements and approximately 100 “settlement outposts” located in the West Bank (in Area C and Hebron) and East Jerusalem, housing an estimated 547,000 settlers. These settlements are considered illegal under international law and their construction is regularly condemned by World powers. Following a recent announcement of new tenders in July the British Middle East Minister, Tobias Ellwood MP, called on Israel “to discard these plans and refrain from such steps. Every settlement announcement has a negative impact on prospects for peace and a negotiated solution.”
“Price tag” attacks are committed by settlers against Palestinians in response to decisions by the Israeli Government which the settlers see as antithetical to their aims. These can vary from hurling stones, uprooting olive trees, and poisoning of water sources to violent assaults against Palestinian civilians and their property. According to the UN, in 2015 there have been an average of four settler attacks per week, and in 2014 there were a total of 324 incidents, over a hundred of which caused injury. Of the complaints submitted to Israeli police forces in the West Bank, only 7.4% have resulted in criminal indictment.
The need for really top quality burn and reconstructive services was highlighted by this tragic attack
Just a week before the arson attack in Duma, two highly-qualified specialized British plastic surgeons, Dr. Naveen Cavale of King’s College Hospital in London and Dr. Tim Goodacre of Oxford University Hospital, met with their colleagues of Alia Hospital in Hebron and Rafidiya Hospital in Nablus to discuss the future of burns treatment in Palestine.
"The need for really top quality burn and reconstructive services was highlighted by this tragic attack,” said Dr Goodacre, who just two weeks ago visited the Rafidiya Hospital where the Dawabsha family were initially treated. “I think it probably goes without saying that unless MAP had got that unit going, and furnished it with equipment as well as ongoing consumable supplies, there would have been virtually no specialist input to the family injured, with doubtless far worse outcomes.”
Alongside Dr Cavale, Dr Goodacre was visiting hospitals in the West Bank to discuss the future of burns treatment with Palestinian colleagues. Until now, Rafidiya Hospital in Nablus has been the only public specialized burns treatment unit in the whole of West Bank, with just space for 10 patients at a time. Patients from the Southern governorates and their families therefore have to travel up to three hours to reach this treatment.
“Every hospital needs a burns unit where the leading plastic surgeon works closely with physio-therapists, pediatrics and the nurses,” Dr Cavale told MAP, stressing the importance of plastic surgery for burns patients to “ensuring full recovery and reconstruction after trauma accidents.”
In order to ensure patients from the Southern Governorate are able to access the services they need, MAP is working towards establishing a new Burns Unit in Hebron. Plans were made to rehabilitate the current ENT department at the Alia Hospital with a specialized ventilation system and isolation rooms. Thanks to crowdfunding within Hebron’s community, the hospital also secured funds for the construction of a new floor to house new operations rooms.
During their visit, Dr Goodacre praised “the efficiency in running high-quality services under such pressure and difficult circumstances. I fully trust in the success of the new unit. We need to work together with our Palestinian colleagues to guarantee medical care for all Palestinians.”
This week, thanks to the continued donations of MAP supporters in the UK, the refurbishment work at the hospital was completed and the new unit is now ready for the installation of the high-tech equipment. MAP will provide the medication and disposables and is currently looking into best ways to build the capacity of the team running the new unit. With the increase of violent confrontations in Hebron governorate, the burns unit is more than ever a priority for the health of the Palestinians living there.
You can support our ongoing work with Burns Units in Palestine by donating here.