Devastation around the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza - screenshot image via Al-Jazeera
As the slaughter continues in Gaza and with the Indonesian Hospital there under attack by Israeli forces -- attacks that left at least 12 dead on Monday (November 20) -- Sarbini Abdul Murad, head of Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) Indonesia that runs the hospital has written an open letter to US president Joe Biden. It powerfully calls out the damage caused by western inaction and hypocrisy as Israel openly commits acts that are being called war crimes and genocidal by many international experts and leaders.
This comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement Monday saying it was "appalled" by the attack.
In the letter Murad writes that what is happening in Palestine is "closely related to issues of colonialism, humanity, apart from religion" and that there are clear "double standards in dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."
He continues "A truly real humanitarian crisis is occurring in Palestine. All life is precious. We both agree that human life is the most sanctified value on this earth. We reject the targeting of civilians, and we mourn the loss of all civilian live. Gazans are facing death every day...Babies, children, women, the elderly, the disabled, hospitals, ambulances, medics, schools, teachers, residential complexes, worship place and much more. This is completely genocide and ethnic cleansing."
Your "siding with Israel by facilitating weapons of mass destruction has actually made the conflict even wider. Your action clearly contradicts various international treaties and agreements that...apply to the existence of Palestine. You have destroyed the international rules of the game, insulted the authority of the UN, torn apart the sense of justice, and hurt human values, and tarnished the face of human civilization."
You can read the full letter at: OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES JOE BIDEN (mer-c.org)
The WHO "has recorded 335 attacks on health care in the occupied Palestinian territory since 7 October, including 164 attacks in the Gaza Strip and 171 attacks in the West Bank."
In strong words it says that the "world cannot stand silent while these hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation, and despair."
The death toll in Gaza as of November 21 is at least 14,100.
UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier noted on Tuesday, November 21 that in Gaza about "160 children are killed every day; that’s one every 10 minutes.”
The UN reports that “If youngsters continue to have restricted access to water and sanitation in Gaza, we will see a tragic yet entirely avoidable surge in the number of children dying,” according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder who noted that more than 5,350 Palestinian children had reportedly been killed.
"The death toll among children is sickening," Mr. Elder said. "Grief is becoming embedded in Gaza. So this then is a stark warning: without sufficient fuel, without sufficient water, conditions for children will plummet."