A medical team from Australian NGO Towards Hope has completed a 10 day trip to Gaza. Co-sponsored by PCRF, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, the team assisted ‘dozens of Palestinians from the besieged Gaza Strip with expert care’, as well as ‘training for local doctors’, a source close to the mission revealed today.
The team consisted of Australian Orthopaedic (Bones and Joints) Surgeon, Dr Tim Keenan, Physiotherapist, Jaquie Hocking from Perth, a Theatre Nurse and an Anaesthetist from Italy. They operated at the Gaza European Hospital from October 10th, finishing on October 16th,
undertaking reconstructive surgery and providing rehabilitation services. It is also planned to provide some ongoing training and assistance where necessary, to enable local staff to continue such work, after the team leaves.
This is Dr Keenan’s first trip to Gaza, although he has led medical teams to Nablus in West Bank in the past.
Max Ajl makes a superb comparison of the Towards Hope / PCRF medical mission with an Israeli effort, tuned to Channel H for Hasbara.