organization:health ministry

» Palestinian Dies From Serious Wounds Suffered Last Friday In Gaza IMEMC News – May 3, 2018 12:45 PM
▻http://imemc.org/article/palestinian-dies-from-serious-wounds-suffered-last-friday-in-gaza

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, has reported that a young Palestinian man died, on Thursday morning, from serious wounds he suffered last Friday, after Israeli soldiers shot and seriously injured him.

Dr. al-Qedra stated that Anas Shawqi Abu ‘Asser , 19, from Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza city, was shot with a live round in the head, and remained in the Intensive Care Unit until he succumbed to his serious wound.

The young man was shot during a nonviolent procession east of the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City. (...)

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

Palestinian Killed By Israeli Army Fire In Gaza– IMEMC News
▻http://imemc.org/article/health-ministry-17-medics-among-701-palestinians-injured-in-gaza

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Updated: The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed, Friday, that a young man was killed, and at least 969 Palestinians have been injured, by Israeli army fire, along the eastern border areas, in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said the soldiers shot Islam Herzallah , 28, with a live round in the abdomen, east of Gaza city.

The young man was rushed to the Shifa medical center in Gaza city, where he succumbed to his serious wounds.

Dr. al-Qedra added that the young man was shot east of Gaza city, and received the urgently needed treatment in a field clinic, before he was transferred to the medical center where he was rushed to surgery but succumbed to his serious wounds.

He also said that the army injured 969 Palestinians near border areas Rafah, Khan Younis, al-Boreij, east of Gaza, and east of Jabalia. 419 of them were moved to hospitals and medical centers, and 550 received treatment in field clinics and make-shift hospitals near border areas.

Among the wounded Palestinians are seventeen medics, after the army deliberately targeted field clinics with gas bombs, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The army also seriously injured a journalist, identified as Ahmad Abu Hussein, who was shot in the abdomen, and moderately injured another reporter, Mohammad Najjar, who was shot in the shoulder.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

» Palestinian Dies From Serious Wounds Suffered On March 30th
IMEMC News | April 9, 2018
▻http://imemc.org/article/palestinian-dies-from-serious-wounds-suffered-on-march-30th

Palestinian medical sources have reported, on Monday morning, that a man who was shot by Israeli army fire on March 30th, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, has succumbed to his wounds.

http://imemc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MarwanQdeih-2.jpg

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, identified the Palestinian as Marwan Odah Qdeih , 45, from Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

He added that his death brings the number of Palestinians who were killed by the Israeli military since the “Great Return March” on March 30th, to thirty Palestinians, (excluding a farmer who was killed on his land that morning), while at least 2860 have been injured, including dozens who suffered serious wounds.

On the same day of his serious injury, the first day of massive nonviolent protests marking the Palestinian Land Day, the soldiers killed 16 Palestinians, including a farmer who was killed on his land during morning hours, hours before the protests took place.

On Friday, April 6, one of Marwan’s relatives, identified as Osama Khamis Qdeih, 38, was among seven Palestinians, including one child, who were killed by Israeli forces during protests at the Gaza-Israel border.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

» Israeli Soldiers Kill Seven Palestinians, Including A Child, Injure 922 In Gaza
IMEMC News – April 6, 2018 8:14 PM
►http://imemc.org/article/army-kills-one-palestinian-injures-at-least-100-including-five-who-suffered-s

Updated: The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip has confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed, Friday, seven Palestinians, including one child, and injured 992 others, in several parts of the coastal region. An eighth Palestinian died from serious wounds suffered last Friday.

Update: The soldiers killed Ala’ Yahya az-Zamily , 17, after shooting him with a live round in his neck, east of Rafah. Ala’ was from Shaboura refugee camp, in Rafah.

It said that Mohammad Sa’id Mousa al-Hajj Saleh , 33, from Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip, was shot with live Israeli army fire in the abdomen and chest, east of the city, during evening hours.

The Ministry stated that the child, identified as Hussein Mohammad Madhi , 16, was killed by Israeli army fire, on Friday evening, east of Gaza city.

Another Palestinian, identified as Sidqi Faraj Abu ‘Oteiwi , 45, from Nusseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, was also killed by Israeli army fire.
Also, the soldiers killed Ibrahim al-‘Orr, 20, in central Gaza.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said the soldiers shot 1070 Palestinians, 551 of them were rushed to the make-shift clinics on Palestinian lands hundreds of meters away from the border fence.

He added that 442 wounded Palestinians were rushed to governmental hospitals, and 77 to private hospitals. Among the injured are 48 children, and 12 women.

25 Palestinians suffered life-threatening injuries, and 239 suffered moderate wounds, in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

» Army Kills Two Palestinians, Injures At least 252, Including Many Who Suffered Serious Wounds, In Gaza
April 6, 2018 4:50 PM IMEMC News
►http://imemc.org/article/army-kills-one-palestinian-injures-at-least-100-including-five-who-suffered-s

Israeli soldiers killed, Friday, two Palestinians and injured at least 252 others, including may who suffered life-threatening wounds, and moderate injuries, in several parts of the Gaza Strip, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against nonviolent protesters.

The Health Ministry and the Red Crescent in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Majdi Ramadan Shbat , 38, east of Gaza city.

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In addition that 252 Palestinians were injured by army fire, including many who suffered life-threatening wounds, and serious injuries, in addition to dozens who suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that the soldiers killed Osama Khamis Qdeih , 38, from Abasan al-Kabeera town, east of Khan Younis.

http://imemc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/OsamaQdeih1-e1523023608514.jpg

He added that Qdeih died from serious wounds he suffered after the soldiers shot him with live fire, east of Khan Younis.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

Death toll in Gaza reaches 20 as 1 man succumbs to wounds, 1 killed by drone fire
April 5, 2018 2:11 P.M.
▻http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?ID=780009

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man who was injured by Israeli live fire during Friday’s “Great March of Return” succumbed to his wounds on Thursday at noon, while Palestinian medics recovered the body of a second Palestinian, who was reportedly killed by Israeli drone fire late Wednesday night.

Medical sources told Ma’an that Shadi Hamdan al-Kashef , 34, from the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah succumbed to a head injury he sustained with a live bullet during protests last Friday.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that medical teams were able to recover the body of a slain Palestinian in northeaster Gaza, along the “buffer zone” area of the border.

The man was reportedly killed by an Israeli drone late Wednesday near the border with Israel. His identity remained unknown.

As of Thursday, the death toll in Gaza had reached 20 people, since “The Great March of Return” began on Friday, when Israeli forces heavily used live fire on civilian demonstrators, killing 16 Palestinians in a single day and injuring hundreds of others.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

» Palestinian Dies From Wounds Suffered Friday In Gaza
April 2, 2018 11:23 AM IMEMC News
▻http://imemc.org/article/palestinian-dies-from-wounds-suffered-friday-in-gaza

Palestinian medical sources have reported that a young man died, Monday, from serious wounds he suffered last Friday, when Israeli soldiers attacked nonviolent protesters in several parts of the Gaza Strip, killing 17 of them, and wounding hundreds.

Dr. Ashraf Al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said the Palestinian, Fares Roqab, 29 , was shot with a live round in his abdomen, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

He added that the Palestinian remained in a very critical condition until he died from his wounds despite all efforts to save his life.

Dr. al-Qedra stated that dozens of wounded Palestinians are still receiving treatment, including some who were shot with the Dumdum expanding bullets.

http://imemc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FaresRoqab-e1522656393599.jpg

* The main photo by AFP is of Fares while helping in rescuing a wounded Palestinian, before he was shot.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

» Israel confirms holding two bodies of Palestinians killed Friday – Total now 17
April 2, 2018 10:40 AM IMEMC News
▻http://imemc.org/article/israel-confirms-holding-two-bodies-of-palestinians-killed-friday-total-now-17

Israeli authorities confirmed Sunday that they are holding the bodies of two Palestinians who were killed on Friday during the protests at the borders in Gaza. The two men were identified as:

Mohammad Rubaiya

Mosab Zohair Salloul
According to Israeli news sources, the Israeli government said they have no intention of releasing the bodies or returning them to their families for burial.

The Islamic faith requires that a body be buried as soon after death as possible, so most funerals are held the day after a person dies.

However, Israeli authorities continue to hold the bodies of 26 Palestinians, including these two killed on Friday – some of the bodies held by Israel were killed over one year ago.

The Israeli military spokesperson claimed that the two men whose bodies were taken after being killed by the military Friday were members of the armed wing of Hamas.

But regardless of their political affiliation, on Friday the men were participating in a non-violent direct action at the border that involved all political parties and factions in Palestine.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

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Update: Sixteen Killed Friday by Israeli Soldiers During Land Day Protest, 1416 Wounded
March 30, 2018 7:58 PM

►http://imemc.org/article/israeli-soldiers-kill-seven-palestinians-injure-1100-in-gaza
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the Land Day protests at the border fences has reached 16, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Dr. Ashraf Al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza said the slain Palestinians have been identified as:

1. Wahid Nasrallah Abu Sammour , 27, Khan Younis, southern Gaza. (farmer killed before dawn on his land)
2. Mohammad Kamal Naja, 25, Jabalia, northern Gaza.
3. Mohammad Naim Abu Amro , 27, Sheja’eyya, Gaza city.
4. Amin Mansour Abu Moammar, Rafah, southern Gaza.
5. Ibrahim Abu Sha’ar , 22, Rafah.
6. Abdul-Fattah Bahjat Abdul-Nabi , 18, Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.
7. Mahmoud Sa’adi Rohmi, 33, Gaza.
8. Sari Waleed Abu Odah , Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza.
9. Hamdan Ismael Abu Amsha.
10.Jihad Ahmad Freina , 34, east of Gaza city.
11.Ahmad Ibrahim Ashour Odah, 16, northern Gaza.
12.Abdul-Qader Merdhi al-Hawajri , 42, Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza.
13.Jihad Zoheir Abu Jamous, 30, Khan Younis.
14.Bader Faeq as-Sabagh , 21, Jabalia.
15.Naji Abdullah Abu Hjeir , 25, al-Boreij, central Gaza.
16.Mosab Zohair Salloul (still unconfirmed, his body has not been recovered)

1416 Palestinians have been wounded. 758 of whom were shot by live ammunition, 148 injured by rubber-coated steel bullets. The others were injured by tear gas, concussion grenades and other so-called ‘non-lethal’ weapons.

On Land Day, Israeli forces kill 14 Palestinians, injure hundreds more in Gaza
March 30, 2018 8:19 P.M. (Updated: March 30, 2018 8:19 P.M.)
▻http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?ID=779989

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GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot dead 14 Palestinians and injured over a 1,000 more along the Gaza border on Friday, as thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in “The Great March of Return” on the 42nd anniversary of Land Day.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that 14 Palestinians were killed on Friday. They were identified as:

Mohammad Kamel Najjar
Wahid Nasrallah Abu Samour
Mahmoud Abu Muammar
Mohammad Abu Amro
Amhad Ibrahim Odah
Jihad Farina
Mahmoud Rahmi
Ibrahim Abu Shaer
Abd al-Fattah Bahjat Abd al-Nabi
Abd al-Qader al-Hawajri
Sari Walid Abu Odah
Hamdan Ismail Abu Amsha
Omar Samour
Bader Fayek al-Sabbagh

The ministry added that 1,272 Palestinians were injured. While the majority suffered from severe tear-gas inhalation, tens of Palestinians were injured with live ammunition, some critically.

The ministry called on Palestinians across Gaza to donate blood at hospitals.

#Palestine_assassinée #marcheduretour

Armed Forces orders emergency medical measures in Sinai as military presence intensifies | MadaMasr

▻https://www.madamasr.com/en/2018/02/07/feature/politics/armed-forces-orders-emergency-medical-measures-in-sinai-as-military-presen

The Armed Forces requested the urgent deployment of medical reinforcements to the Sinai Peninsula and Ismailia as hospitals implement emergency measures, following an increase in military presence in the area sources told Mada Masr on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A high-ranking military official asked that the Health Ministry prioritize surgeons and anesthetists and send them to the region within two days during a recent meeting, according to a source from the ministry.

A large number of doctors were recently assigned to compulsory postings across Sinai, the source said, adding that the ministry told them: “Something is going to happen in the area in the next few days.” The doctors come from several governorates, including Cairo, Giza and Gharbiya, and were told their postings will last between one and three months.

The posting of additional medical personnel and requests for further reinforcements come on the heels of emergency measures and the cancellation of staff leave, which were recently announced in Ismailia and Sinai hospitals, another medical source based in North Sinai told Mada Masr. 

The announcement was concurrent with an “unusual increase” in the number of military vehicles in North Sinai, the same source added.

The North Sinai Security Directorate has similarly recalled all staff members from vacation, according to a security source who works in the directorate. The directorate employee told Mada Masr late on Wednesday night that this was to ensure that it is operating at its full capacity within the space of several hours.

In January, sources told Mada Masr that additional Armed Forces equipment and reinforcements had arrived in Hassana, the closest central Sinai city to Arish, in preparation for an “unprecedented” military operation.

» Israeli Air Force Bombards Gaza, Kills Two Palestinians
IMEMC News | December 9, 2017 1:38 PM
▻http://imemc.org/article/israeli-air-force-bombards-gaza-kills-two-palestinians

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that Israeli soldiers fired, on Saturday at dawn, several missiles into an area, south of Gaza city, killing two Palestinians, and causing serious damage to many buildings.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said medics and rescue teams rushed into the bombarded area, and located the remains of two Palestinians, buried under the rubble.

He added that the two Palestinians have been identified as Mahmoud Mohammad at-‘Atal , 29, from Sheikh Radwan area, and Mohammad Jabr as-Safadi ,25, from ad-Daraj neighborhood, in Gaza city.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said the two are members of the group, adding that the bombarded site “Bader” was run by it.

The army also fired many missiles into three other Qassam sites, south of Gaza city, in addition to Khan Younis, and east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

On Saturday morning, Israeli soldiers, stationed across the border fence, shot and injured at least one Palestinian, and caused many others to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.

Media sources said the army attacked dozens of protesters, who marched in Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis, moderately wounding one teenager, and caused many others, mainly school students, to suffer the severe effects of teargas inhalation. (...)

#Palestine_assassinée

Egypt Battle over the Nile | MadaMasr
▻https://www.madamasr.com/en/2017/07/16/feature/politics/battle-over-the-nile

A short ferryboat ride from the area of Warraq takes you to the southern end of the island, which consists of batches of agricultural land and scattered houses, which bear a striking resemblance to a village in the Nile Delta or Egypt’s south. Deeper in, the island turns into a typical Cairo informal neighborhood with tightly stacked buildings and narrow streets that are maneuvered by motorcycles and tuktuks.

Much like Cairo’s informal areas, Warraq island and other Nile islands were first populated by migrants from other governorates who settled there and started to manage services on their own, until the state acknowledged them and started introducing official services.

But the lives of residents of Warraq island, one of dozens of inhabited islands that dot the Nile’s span across Egypt, were disturbed earlier in June, when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi identified their imperfect haven as his next target in the ongoing large-scale national campaign to retrieve illegally occupied state land.

On Sunday, the state attempted to hit its target. Clashes erupted between police and residents of Warraq island on Sunday, as the state attempted to demolish buildings on the island. Police forces fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered to contest the demolition, and, in the ensuing melee, one resident was killed and 19 injured, according to the Health Ministry, while the Ministry of Interior says that 31 of its officers were wounded.

The clashes have temporarily stayed the demolition attempts.

In the conference on land reclamation held in June that first presaged a change for Warraq, the government announced that it had retrieved 118 million square meters of state land in a few weeks, an area constituting 69 percent of total land seized. Amid the announcement of success, Sisi signaled that the state would turn its attention to Nile islands, alluding to Warraq island specifically.

Palestinian shot dead, 7 others injured by Israeli forces in Gaza
June 7, 2017 10:23 A.M. (Updated : June 7, 2017 11:22 A.M.)
▻http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?ID=777530

GAZA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian protester and injured at least seven others with live fire Tuesday evening in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Clashes erupted east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, with Palestinians throwing stones toward the border area with Israel, when Israeli soldiers opened live fire at the demonstrators.

Spokesperson for Gaza’s Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qudra said that 25-year-old Fadi Ibrahim al-Najar was shot dead with a live bullet.

Local sources told Ma’an that two other Palestinian demonstrators were injured with live bullets, though Reuters news agency cited residents and hospital officials as saying that seven others were shot and wounded.

An Israeli army spokesperson said that “dozens of Palestinians who attempted to damage the security fence along the border” were hurling rocks and rolling burning tires toward Israeli forces who “called out to the rioters to halt," and then "fired warning shots into the air.”

She said the Israeli army “was aware” of reports of one casualty, but would not confirm that al-Najar had been killed or acknowledge the seven other casualties.

Separately, local sources said that clashes also erupted with Israeli forces Tuesday night east of Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, when at least four Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation.

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Israeli Soldiers Kill A Palestinian Police Officer In Gaza
June 7, 2017 1:59 AM IMEMC News
▻http://imemc.org/article/israeli-soldiers-kill-a-palestinian-police-officer-in-gaza

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Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Tuesday evening, a Palestinian staff sergeant with the traffic police, after shooting him in the abdomen, and injured at least seven other Palestinians.

The Health Ministry in Gaza said the Palestinian, Fadi Ibrahim Najjar, 25, was shot with a live round in the abdomen, and died from his serious wounds.

#Palestine_assassinée #GAZA

Ukraine ‘ready to go’ in polio fight after outbreak scare, says health minister
▻http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/ukraine-ready-to-go-in-polio-fight-after-outbreak-scare-says-health-minist

Ukrainian Health Minister Alexander Kvitashvili has sought to allay international concerns of a potential polio epidemic in the country after two cases of infection, promising an immediate immunization drive after weeks of delays.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on Oct. 9, Kvitashvili said the government was already “ready to go” with immunization efforts after an action plan was drawn up and a decree on the matter prepared the night before.

Kvitashvili’s comments came in response to scathing international criticism after two documented cases of the polio virus in western Ukraine’s Zakarpattia Oblast in late August left two young children paralyzed – and warranted little to no reaction from authorities.

It was the first case of the disease’s documentation in Europe since 2010, and it set off alarm bells throughout the international community.

Ellyn Ogden of the United States Agency for International Development said those alarm bells should still be ringing, despite the Health Ministry’s action plan.

Ogden expressed shock at the authorities’ delayed reaction to the situation, noting that “in the past, a confirmed case of polio would have gotten immediate attention.”

This time around, however, she said the response has been “inadequate” – so much so that the recent polio cases threaten to leave the country’s reputation with a “black eye.”

“Ukraine went from 90% coverage a decade ago, to 14% today. This is one of the lowest coverages in the world, including countries at war and those facing security and economic challenges,” Ogden said.

The two documented cases of the virus were vaccine-derived polio, meaning they could have been prevented if the population had a higher level of immunization.

“No other country in the world is in such a dire situation, or has shown such disregard for protecting children against childhood diseases,” Ogden said.

“It is now 45 days since the outbreak has been announced, and not a single child has been vaccinated,” Ogden said.

#Gaza’s medical sector in crisis
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/gaza%E2%80%99s-medical-sector-crisis

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4cols/leading_images/301031-01-08%20%281%29.jpg

A woman carries an injured child into the al-Najar hospital in #Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on July 9, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Said Khatib) A woman carries an injured child into the al-Najar hospital in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on July 9, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Said Khatib)

Gaza – As the war on Gaza enters its third consecutive day, hospitals in the Strip are going through a major crisis that began even before the war, when the Health Ministry had announced that it is running out of 25 percent of essential drugs. Now they are facing what could be called a disaster as the martyrs and the injured keep arriving at hospital reception rooms and ERs by the minute. The Israeli aggression, accompanied by an environmental (...)

#Culture_&_Society #Articles #Beit_Hanoun #Dr._Ashraf_al-Qudra #Gaza_Health_Ministry #Jabalia #Khan_Younis #Palestinian_Red_Crescent

#Saudi_Arabia identifies 18 new cases of #MERS virus
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-arabia-identifies-18-new-cases-mers-virus

Saudi Arabia has identified 18 new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), it said late on Wednesday, pushing the total number of infections in the country so far to 449. Four people died from the disease on Wednesday, taking the total death toll in Saudi Arabia to 121 since MERS, a form of coronavirus, was identified two years ago, the Health Ministry said in a statement on its website. read more

#Top_News

Why everything is so expensive in Israel - Opinion - Haaretz

▻http://www.haaretz.com/mobile/.premium-1.569795?v=C1C003BB2CBFC0D37B8D405C8DE40E09

So what have we here? Bolshevik-style management from above, cartels and monopolies, huge customs barriers that enable price inflation, five giant food producers who dominate the leading brands, two large marketing chains that we cannot do without, expenditures on kashrut, a Health Ministry that prevents competition and an antitrust commissioner who fell asleep on his watch.

So is it any wonder that food prices here are 25 percent higher than in Europe?

Israel to probe birth control for Ethiopian immigrants | Maan News Agency
▻http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=570216

JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel’s Health Ministry has ordered an investigation into whether government employees or health workers prescribed a birth control drug to Ethiopian immigrant women as a way to control the population.

Haaretz reported on Thursday that a senior official had decided to name a team to look into charges that Ethiopian women were given Depo-Provera shots in an effort to limit the growth of their community in Israel.

Confirming the report, a ministry spokeswoman replied in a written statement that the ministry would “re-investigate the issue which was examined in the past, to ensure that there was no such directive from any governmental or other Israeli public organization.”

Suspicions that Ethiopian women had been coerced into receiving Depo-Provera arose in Israeli media a few years ago and again in a recent TV documentary linking the group’s falling birthrate to over-prescription of the injectable contraceptive.

Israel’s government already said in January it would review the case after a civil rights group accused the health ministry of racism.

The ministry has already ordered doctors not to renew Depo-Provera prescriptions unless they were convinced patients understood the ramifications, according to a letter from the ministry posted on the group’s website in January.

Ministry Director-General Roni Gamzu said at the time that the decision did not imply he accepted the allegations by the Association of Civil Rights in Israel.

In a letter to Gamzu in January, ACRI said "the sweeping use of Depo-Provera among Ethiopian women raises heavy suspicions that we are talking about a deliberate policy to control and monitor fertility among this community.

“The data ... point to a paternalistic, haughty and racist attitude that limits considerably the freedom of Ethiopian immigrants to choose the birth control that is medically suitable for them.”

ACRI said statistics from a major Israeli health provider showed it had administered Depo-Provera injections to 5,000 women in 2008, 57 percent of whom were Ethiopian.

Complaints of discrimination

Israel has denied any policy to curb the birthrate among the 100,000 Ethiopian Jews who have moved to Israel since chief rabbis determined in 1973 that the community had biblical roots.

Some Ethiopian Jews have made it into Israel’s parliament and officer ranks in the military, but complaints of discrimination in schooling and housing are common.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approved Depo-Provera in 1992, its prolonged use may reduce bone density and it should only be used for longer than two years if other birth control methods prove inadequate.

The documentary, broadcast on Israeli Educational Television, shows a nurse filmed by a hidden camera saying Ethiopian women were given Depo-Provera because they “don’t understand anything” and would forget to take birth control pills.

Rick Hodes, medical director in Ethiopia for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a non-governmental group that aids immigration to Israel, denied the accusation that women are coerced into receiving the injections before leaving their country for the Jewish state.

“Injectable drugs have always been the most popular form of birth control in Ethiopia, as well as among women in our program,” Hodes wrote on Twitter.

Security forces fire on Cairo ’Nakba’ rally - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
►http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/20115165445325517.html

At least 353 people were injured, one of them critically, when Egyptian security forces attacked a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Sunday night, according to witnesses and the Health Ministry.

Activists told Al Jazeera that army and internal security troops used tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition to disperse thousands of protesters who had gathered to mark the 63rd anniversary of the “Nakba” or “catastrophe” - the day in 1948 that Israel declared its independence and thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled form their homes.