801 Palestinian Martyrs (including 190 children and 30 women) Since the Beginning of The Intifada
October 23, 2001
Dr. Riyad Zanoun, Palestinian Minister of Health, declared that the total number
of martyrs so far amounts to 801 including 190 children and 30 women, asserting
that the number of martyrs during the last three days is 30 martyrs.
He added, in the press conference he held at the State Information Service in
Gaza yesterday, that the total number of the casualties is 31,038 so far,
including 750 children and 1400 women.
Dr. Zanoun sent an appeal to the general secretary of the UN, the representative
of the Red Cross, human rights general commissioner, director general of the WHO
in Geneva, the executive head of the Arab Health Ministers Council and the
director general of the Middle East Regional Office for World Health, calling
for immediate intervention to stop the crimes the Israelis are committing
against the Palestinian people.
The minister also condemned the Israeli hijacking of an ambulance, four days
ago, and using it in storming and arresting in both Azzon and Salfeet; he added
that driver of the ambulance is still lost, describing this action as
unprecedented in the history. He added that the Israelis also attacked an
ambulance of the UNRWA where Dr. Maher Abu Louh and the driver of the ambulance
were injured, and Beit Jala Hospital was attacked by the tanks missiles and
heavy machine-guns, resulting in the death of Fawzi Abu Ihlail (30 years old)
and the injury of the anesthetist Amjad Al-Balawi.
The minister asserted that the Israeli practices prevent the patients access of
hospitals, preventing the ambulances and the medical teams from saving the lives
of the injured, causing an atmosphere of disorder and insecurity even in the
hospitals, and bombing the electricity transformers.
About the anthrax, Dr. Zanoun asserted that there are no cases suspected or
infected with anthrax in Palestine; adding that the Ministry took all the needed
cautions to face this disease.
He added that the Ministry Of Health received 10 million dollars from the
Islamic Development Bank and asked for other 10 millions yet the bank agreed to
give five. He also indicated that there are tons of medications and ambulances
are hindered by the Israelis in Al-Areesh.
At the end of the conference , the minister asserted that the ministry is
determined to face the hardest circumstances so that it can keep serving the
Palestinian people. It is worth mentioning that the office of the deputy
minister issued a statement yesterday in Nablus in which it declared that an
ambulance has been hijacked by the Israeli forces that use it in its incursion
into the Palestinian towns.
Palestine Affairs Council