Loading...Fares Afaneh, head of emergency and ambulance services in Gaza City and the north, told Al Jazeera that dozens of bodies remain scattered. He said Israeli forces rejected coordination requests, leaving victims exposed for days. Afaneh explained that many people are still trapped under rubble. Rescue crews cannot reach them because Israeli troops block the entrances. “Many wounded people died where they fell,” he said. The situation has turned gruesome. Stray dogs now feed on the bodies left in the streets of Sabra, Tal al-Hawa, Al-Shate’ refugee Camp, and Sheikh Radwan. Afaneh said Israeli troops in those areas open fire on anyone who tries to approach. Civil defense teams now move only in a few streets. Heavy Israeli military presence and collapsed towers block most roads. Afaneh stressed that dozens of bodies have been left in plain sight for days. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense, said Israel refused 26 of 27 coordination requests in the past 22 days. He added that in just the past hours, Israeli forces rejected more than 70 urgent appeals to reach trapped civilians. Rescue crews sometimes try to move without coordination. In those cases, they rely on the Red Cross or UN humanitarian offices for support. Yet, even then, Israeli gunfire forces them to turn back. “By denying coordination, Israel violates international law and the Geneva Conventions,” Basal said. “Rescue workers have the right to recover the wounded and the dead without obstruction.” Last week, Gaza ambulance teams received 320 distress calls from people trapped in Sabra and Tal al-Hawa. None of those calls could be answered. Basal said Israeli forces shot at ambulance crews who tried to reach the sites. One father begged rescuers to collect the bodies of his children lying outside his home. He could not step out because soldiers targeted the area. He said a stray dog dragged away one of his children’s bodies while he watched helplessly. “Our teams do only humanitarian work,” Basal said. “International law protects us. But Israel refuses to respect that.” Tens of thousands of civilians have died because rescue teams could not reach them in time. Thousands more now face the same fate. Basal warned that unless the world acts, many will perish before help arrives.
Gaza Civil Defense: Israel Prevents Rescue Teams While Dogs Scavenge Victims’ Bodies
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