Israeli troops wreck Christian Aid medical centre

An office belonging to a Christian Aid Palestinian medical partner organisation in the West Bank town of Jenin has been taken over by Israeli troops who have destroyed equipment and threatened staff. Christian Aid partner, The Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC) has reported that their office in the West Bank town of Jenin was taken over by Israeli soldiers yesterday. A spokesman for UPMRC said: "We have received information that much of our equipment was intentionally destroyed. Our doctors and nurses were threatened at gun-point and prevented from accessing the centre, which is currently used as an operational base for the Israeli occupying army." According to UPMRC, this latest incident is just one in a series of recent events hindering the provision of medical services. On the same day, a UPMRC ambulance was stopped at the Walaje check-point on its way from Bethlehem to Hebron. The ambulance driver was beaten by Israeli soldiers. The spokesman said: "Over the past five days, ten patients from Yatta who are suffering from chronic kidney disease were prevented from receiving their kidney dialysis treatment in Hebron. Their condition is critical." He added that in May this year, similar events lead to the death of 21-year old Aisha Ali Hasan from Qibiya. In the same region, a young child Mohammed Abu Sabha who was suffering from intermittent bleeding was denied treatment for two days. "We urge our friends in the international community to take immediate action and intervene on our behalf stressing the violation of basic human rights that is implied in the denial of medical services."