Augusta Victoria Hospital. Photo: LWF/DWS Jerusalem/M. Brown
Call for Ceasefire via Social Media
(LWI) – The Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in Jerusalem has prepared a ward in the hospital to operate around the clock to receive injured and wounded patients from Gaza and give them medical care.
The hospital which is operated by The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) provides life-saving healthcare to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, including specialized treatment offered at its cancer, diabetes and pediatric centers. The hospital is an important pillar in the Palestinian health system and is widely acknowledged in governmental and church circles for its excellent treatment and care.
The ward will include four intensive care beds and 12 surgical beds, fully equipped with staff. The facility comes in addition to the ongoing services given to cancer patients, many of whom have arrived at AVH from Gaza.
The hospital administration and its staff noted that they are doing their national duty, as well as their ethical and humanitarian duty, and are hoping for freedom, peace, and justice for all, for the fighting to stop, and for the opportunity to accompany surgical teams going to Gaza.
Thunderclap for ceasefire
In a statement issued last week, the LWF strongly urged the two parties involved in the Gaza conflict to abide by international law, protect civilians and allow for humanitarian access. “Tampering with these obligations only opens the floodgates for atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the statement said.
“By offering healthcare to the injured the LWF is contributing to uphold the international conventions regarding those injured in situations of conflict,” said Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, Director of the LWF Department for World Service. “The LWF is doing everything in its power to not only call on protection of civilians but to follow the call with concrete actions to assist those afflicted.”
The LWF has also joined a call to raise awareness issued by the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) in Jerusalem. AIDA and the LWF are promoting a "Thunderclap" via Facebook and Twitter calling for a Gaza ceasefire. Thunderclap is a crowdspeaking platform that amplifies messages by allowing large groups of people to share a single message together at the same time. The "thunderclap" is scheduled for Monday 28 July 2014, 6 pm Jerusalem time.
The call asks for an immediate ceasefire and an opening of the crossings to Gaza to allow for humanitarian access. “The violence must stop once and for all” it says. “Palestinians and Israelis deserve security and a just, durable peace”.
See more on AVH efforts to secure health care:
SERVING GAZA: AVH EFFORTS TO ENSURE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE from LWFJerusalem on Vimeo.
