14/02/2024 FranceThe Branch News
French Parliament and Assembly Hear Testimonies from The PalMed Euroep Team Returning from Gaza
In a significant session, the French Parliament and Assembly listened to testimonies from the medical team affiliated with the Palestinian Doctors Association, who recently returned from the besieged Gaza Strip.
During the meeting, members of the association, having spent 12 days in the embattled Gaza Strip, briefed French parliamentarians on the overall situation in Gaza. They highlighted the health conditions, especially in hospitals, in light of the Israeli aggression and invasion of the region. The discussion shed light on the challenges of bringing urgent medical and humanitarian aid to the population, including the healthcare sector, due to restrictions on entry.
The delegation spoke passionately about children suffering injuries to their heads or abdomens, or losing limbs. Shockingly, infants were reported to be dying within 4 or 5 hours of birth due to continuous bombardment, food shortages, and a lack of necessary medical care. The delegation anticipates a significant increase in the official death toll due to the ongoing aggression and the prevention of aid and emergency medical teams.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the delegation called on attendees to exert pressure on the French government and decision-making centers to support an end to the aggression and allow medical and humanitarian aid to enter the affected region.
In response, Mathilde Panot, a member of the French Parliament representing Region 94, Chair of the Left Committee in the French National Assembly, and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted on her official platform:
Powerful and impactful testimonies from doctors and nurses of the PalMed Association returning from #Gaza. They speak of children injured in the head, abdomen, or losing limbs. Infants are dying within 4 or 5 hours of birth. Remarkable courage from Palestinian healthcare workers. One doctor tells us that the official casualty numbers should double or triple. These words are crucial to break the silence around the hell in Gaza and urgently call for a clear direction: a ceasefire!