AhlulBayt News Agency: Civil defense and ambulance teams in Gaza are facing severe challenges in retrieving the bodies of martyrs and assisting the wounded, as Israeli forces continue to block access to conflict zones, according to civil defense officials.
Fares Afaneh, Director of Emergency and Ambulance Services in Gaza City and the northern region, stated on Monday that dozens of bodies remain scattered across streets in areas such as Al-Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa, Al-Shati, and Sheikh Radwan. He said Israeli forces are actively preventing rescue teams from approaching, firing live bullets and shells at anyone attempting to help.
Afaneh added that many individuals are still trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes, but civil defense teams have been unable to reach them. Consequently, many of the wounded have died without receiving any aid.
He warned that stray dogs have begun mauling corpses lying in the streets, as rescue teams remain immobilized due to the heavy Israeli military presence and the closure of roads leading to affected areas.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, confirmed that Israel has rejected 26 out of 27 coordination requests over the past 22 days and ignored more than 70 urgent intervention appeals in recent hours. This has placed civilians and the wounded in grave danger.
Basal explained that rescue crews are sometimes forced to reach out to the Red Cross or the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in hopes of accessing certain neighborhoods, often without formal coordination.
He emphasized that Israel’s obstruction of ambulance teams constitutes a direct violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions, which mandate that warring parties allow humanitarian access and protect rescue personnel.
Basal noted that just last week, over 320 distress calls were received from trapped and wounded individuals in Al-Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa. However, teams were unable to respond due to direct fire. In one tragic case, a man lost his children, and a stray dog dragged one of their bodies in front of him while Israeli forces blocked paramedics from intervening.
He said the current scenes in Al-Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa resemble those witnessed in northern Gaza six months ago. He urged the international community and humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately to stop the war and ensure rescue crews can reach affected areas.
Basal stressed that ambulance crews carry out purely humanitarian missions and are entitled under international law to rescue the wounded and recover the dead without needing permission from any party. Yet, Israel continues to deny this right.
Tens of thousands of civilians have already died due to Israel’s obstruction of emergency teams. Thousands more remain at risk unless urgent international action is taken.
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