GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip launched Oct. 8 the first maritime emergency service in Gaza in order to provide medical assistance to demonstrators who are fired at by the Israeli army in anti-siege protests at sea.
The Palestinians launched naval protests May 29 to draw attention to their suffering under the Israeli land and sea blockade for the past 12 years. Dozens of boats with peaceful protesters are participating in the action that Israeli soldiers and military boats are targeting with live bullets and tear gas bombs.
The maritime emergency service employs 35 staff including nurses, doctors and EMTs who work in three different units: the emergency boat service, the ambulance located on the beach and the first aid post set up on the shore of the northern Gaza Strip.
Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that the idea of establishing a maritime emergency service came in response to the difficulty of transferring those shot by the Israeli army at sea and wasting the first minutes after an attack, which are crucial to save the lives of the wounded.
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