URGENT ALERT

Nablus: Israeli occupation forces attack PMRS Ambulance

Wednesday 16th June 2004

PMRS condemns the recent Israeli shooting at its ambulance operating in the West Bank city of Nablus, on Tuesday the 15th of June. The attack injured the ambulance driver and damaged the vehicle.

Dr Mustafa Barghouthi - President of PMRS, described the incident as another crime to be added to the long list of attacks against Palestinian medical teams working to save the lives of injured Palestinians by transferring them to hospitals, amidst the terrible conditions created by occupation policies of closures and sieges, that have been imposed on the Palestinian territories.

Dr Barghouthi added that attacks against all Medical services are clear violations of International agreements and laws, which serve to protect health service providers.

Dr Ghassan Hamdan, Head of PMRS services in Nablus, insisted that this ambulance was a target of Israeli soldiers’ bullets even though it was transferring an injured person to Hospital. They shot at the ambulance to prevent the emergency medical team from carrying out their essential humanitarian work. Dr Hamdan added that this is not the first time that Israeli soldiers have attacked Palestinian Medical services in Nablus. The PMRS medical center in Nablus has been frequently damaged by tanks and shelling.

PMRS asks all humanitarian, human rights and health organizations to pressurize the Israeli occupation forces to allow the free movement of all medical teams. Please ask all organizations to protest these recent actions. Letters can be written to:

Menachem Mazuz
Attorney-General
Ministry of Justice
9 Salah al-Din Street
Jerusalem 91010, Israel
Fax: +972 2 6285438

Tommy Lapid - Minister of Justice
29 Salah al-Din Street
Jerusalem 91010
Israel
Tel: +972 2 6708511
Fax: +972 2 6285438
E-mail: sar@justice.gov.il

For further information please contact: pmrsupdates@yahoo.com