Heartbreaking Facts: Palestinian Paramedics and Journalists, as Civilian Humanitarian Workers

Human Initiative – The Israeli attacks on Palestine have entered the 14th day. UN OCHA, through reliefweb.int (19/10), has compiled data on the number of Palestinian civilians who have been displaced, injured, and killed. According to data collected by the United Nations (UN) agency, among them are civilian humanitarian workers, including paramedics and journalists.

In a report titled ‘Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #12,’ the number of Palestinian civilians affected was mentioned. This report, released on October 18, 2023, records that at least 3,478 Palestinian civilians have lost their lives and 12,500 have been injured in Gaza. In the West Bank, 64 Palestinian civilians have died, and 1,284 have been injured.

The number of casualties continues to rise with each attack, including civilian humanitarian workers such as paramedics and journalists. As reported by Republika.id, at least 37 Palestinian doctors and paramedics have lost their lives due to various Israeli military attacks in Gaza. Moreover, 33 hospitals and clinics and 23 ambulances can no longer operate due to these attacks.

A similar situation has affected journalists in Palestine. Quoting Gatra.com, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) revealed that journalists have been targeted since the Israeli military aggression in Gaza on October 7, 2023. In their records, 11 journalists have lost their lives, and 20 others have been injured.

Threats and Attacks

According to Republika, last week, Israel requested the evacuation of all hospitals in northern Gaza and the central city for an airstrike. However, the Palestinian Ministry of Health rejected this request, and all hospital staff facing threats never left vulnerable patients. “It is impossible to evacuate sick and injured people,” said the Director of Al-Awda Hospital, one of the hospitals threatened by Israel.

Since October 7, 2023, at least 22 hospitals have received threats of airstrikes from the Israeli military. Two of these hospitals are Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City and the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.

Without warning, an Israeli military airstrike on Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City (17/10) resulted in the deaths of more than 500 civilians. Before this attack, at least 37 Palestinian doctors and paramedics had already lost their lives.

The same goes for journalists in Palestine. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) reported on Gatra.com that not only have journalists died or been injured, but some journalists are still missing, including Nidal al-Wahidi, a photojournalist who worked as a producer at al-Najah TV, and Haitham Abdel Wahed from Ain Media Media Agency. Even 20 journalist residences and 50 media offices have been bombed, including well-known media outlets like Al Jazeera and AFP.

Violating International Humanitarian Law

Many have accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law with its military might. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has insights on international humanitarian law. It states that the Geneva Conventions regulate the protection and treatment of four categories that do not or no longer participate in conflicts. One of them is civilian populations.

“Civilian populations that meet these criteria are referred to as ‘protected persons.’ These include stateless persons, internally displaced persons, refugees, and journalists,” according to the ICRC.

These protected persons must also be collected and cared for when they are in a helpless state. Therefore, the implementation of medical activities by medical personnel, units, and medical transport is highly respected and protected.

Quoting VoA Indonesia, UNESCO stated that the first week of the Palestine-Israel conflict was the deadliest for journalists. Nevertheless, having journalists on-site to document various events is crucial to understanding what is happening and to ensure accountability, especially due to the involvement of many civilians.

Source Data:

https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-12-enarhe
https://www.republika.id/posts/46787/cerita-pilu-pengeboman-rumah-sakit-al-ahli
https://www.gatra.com/news-582764-internasional-pjs-11-wartawan-terbunuh-dan-50-media-sasaran-israel-sejak-agresi-di-gaza.html
https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/setidaknya-15-jurnalis-terbunuh-di-gaza-keamanan-peliputan-dipertanyakan/7316530.html

Source of Images:

A Palestinian wounded in Israeli strikes is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. (AP: Ali Mahmoud)
The damage at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. (Al Jazeera: Abdelhakim Abu Riash)
Mourners, including colleagues, carry the bodies of Palestinian journalists Mohammed Subh and Saeed al-Taweel in Gaza City. (Reuters: Arafat Barbakh)