Cap Phantom

The Norwegian Doctor Mads Gilbert is not allowed into Gaza

The Norwegian doctor says the situation is as bad as in January as he just informs that he is not allowed to enter into Gaza. The paradox is that his colleague Erik Fosse who worked with Mads Gilbert in Gaza in January was let in.

Together with his colleague Erik Fosse they came into the international attention when they worked together at the Shifa hospital in Gaza in January this year. The war was at its worst and international journalists were not allowed to enter the Gaza strip. The Norwegian doctors together with a handful of Palestinian journalists were amongst the few voices to tell what happened during the conflict.

Look at  Mads Gilbert’s own photos from the Gaza War

Wednesday this week both came back to amongst other things talk to the Palestinian doctors association at its yearly congress in Bethlehem on Friday. After this they would travel to Gaza on Sunday and visit the hospital they worked in January. Erik Fosse could travel through the border but Mads Gilbert was denied entry by the Israelian authorities.

He tells that it’s the first time in 20 years he can not enter the country and calls for reaction to this. The Israelian authorities has not given any clear reason for why he is not allowed to enter.

It seems very random to who gets to enter as his colleague got lucky and could enter and he could not. The Israelian blockade is harder and tighter than ever and it is a very serious situation were over one million and a half people need support and skills to assist them in post war times. The international opinion is in rage and despair of the Israelian reaction and actions, and it can not make things better for Israel when it comes to build their support internationally.

Many in the international society today believes that the rebuilding of Gaza has started and is well off, however more and more representatives from the international groups of relief and aid are denied entry to Gaza. The new authorities in Israel are also working on regulations that might make it even more difficult to enter the war affected areas. Mads Gilbert says he is aware that nothing has happened when it comes to rehabilitation, psycho social support to neither traumatized children nor the reconstruction of houses. This is just a way to continue the collective punishment of the Palestinian people he says. Mads Gilbert asks for international action and pressure on the Israelian authorities.  

Some countries have stated that the Israelian regime of closure is to strict and has taken this up with the Israelian authorities but see no changes at all.

The support group for the Palestinian authorities (AHLC) will address this issue in their upcoming meeting and one of the most important issues for the group is to follow the economic development in the Palestinian areas and look into the regime of closure which exhibits the most important obstacles for further development today.

AHLC has stated several times that the regime needs to change its policies in many respects. There are no clear indications in what directions the Israelian regime takes in these issues.

Gaza is still a bombed out area and acts like a prison for people in hunger and need for help at many levels. Israel has a moral responsibility to assist in the reconstruction and aid to rebuild a society they have contributed to destruct.

Mads Gilberts calls the situation absurd. His hope is that the humans reacted to the situation in the area before will react as strong now as then.

The Palestinians in Gaza lacks the most basic things, like proper sanitarian conditions and clean water. This situation is new were Israel impose addition suffering on the Palestinian people.