A Guest Blog by Gerri Haynes: Journey to Gaza, The Beginning

From former P-I foreign editor Larry Johnson's blog: Looking for Trouble.

For the next week or so, I will be running a guest blog by Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. Gerri, a nurse from Kirkland, Wash., is in Gaza with 11 other people in an effort to help the people there and also to better understand the situation.

     This journey has been months in the planning and today we were able to cross into Gaza through the Erez checkpoint from Israel.  We are a thankful group!  The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme and associated health care providers are giving us this week in service.

     There are 12 of us. Six physicians will see patients in cardiology, maxillo-facial surgery, family practice/emergency medicine, neurosurgery, urology, and psychiatry.  Our nurse/grief consultant will teach classes in grief and bereavement.  Five of our delegation - a pastor, an attorney and three human rights professionals will talk with families and listen to people throughout the area – all in service to this land that is trying to recover from the war of last winter.

     WPSR made a first journey to Gaza in 1993.  Here, we met Dr. Eyad El Sarraj, Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.  Dr. Sarraj has published important articles and papers on the health situation in Gaza, the mental health of the population, the effects of war and living as a refugee on children and critiques of the political situation in his country.  

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     In 1993, entry to Gaza was accomplished through a small checkpoint.  At that time, Israel physically occupied Gaza. There were Israeli guard towers visible at frequent intervals and Israeli soldiers appeared on every street.  Now, there is an imposing warehouse-like checkpoint building on the Israel side of the crossing. Security is tight.

     We applied for permission to enter Gaza several months in advance of today's crossing and were assisted by an Israeli lieutenant in gaining that permission.  Israel no longer physically occupies Gaza – the settlements were vacated and destroyed by Israel in 2005 – but remote occupation continues. By various means, Israel controls all movement at the borders of Gaza.  There is no free movement of goods or services and complete closure of the Gaza Strip is a constant threat.

The cardiologist in our delegation worked with a fellow cardiologist from Gaza today.  They examined a woman whose congenital heart defect was expertly repaired several months ago by a Palestinian surgeon.  The woman was despondent.  Healed vertical scars were present on her back. The Palestinian cardiologist explained that the wounds had been caused by shrapnel fragments during the attack in the winter war that killed the woman's husband.  “Some wounds heal,” the physician explained, “some never do.”

One hospital in Gaza has a lovely new wing. On the upper floors of this wing, there are operating rooms and intensive care beds. These areas are furnished but stand empty, ready to receive patients, but unable to accommodate the admission of those needing care here. The elevator that is essential for safe transport to this area has not been installed. For months, permission from external authorities has barred installation of the needed elevator. In the entire area of Gaza, there are 60 intensive care beds for a population of more than 1.5 million people. During the December/January attacks there was a daily need for 120 intensive care beds. At that time, heroic hospital staff moved wounded patients up to the intensive care facility on stretchers through steep stairways.  Patient safety requires access to an elevator though, and so the wait – no one knows for how long – for permission to install the elevator.  

On this first day in Gaza, we have seen the spirit and courage of the Palestinian people. The threat of more attacks, the lack of access to potable water and adequate food, the continuing grief over the death and destruction of life and environment, and the sense of living in an open-air prison are evident in every encounter. We are grateful to be here and look forward to learning from our hosts in the days ahead.

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