Paramedic Arafa Abd Al-Dayim (33 years old, resident of Beit Hanoun) died around 1.45 PM, during surgery.

At approximately 10 AM one of the 4 ambulance teams of Oxfam partner UHWC (union of health work committees) in Gaza was shelled during the Israeli shelling (tank or artillery) on Beit Lahiya, while trying to evacuate an
injured person from previous bombing. The hit happened at the Western Round About in Beit Lahiya.

The UHWC-ambulance team attempted to evacuate people to Al-Awda Hospital, one of the medical facilities of UHWC in Jabiliya.

Press release: Cairo and Ramallah (West Bank): 31st Dec 2008

"STOP the military massacre in Gaza NOW!"

Health groups demand Israel immediately stop ongoing military attack

The People's Health Movement condemns the brutal attack on Palestinians and demand an immediate stop to Israel's ongoing military attack on Gaza. People's Health Movement is a global coalition of grassroot health and peace activists fighting injustice, ill health and poverty, worldwide.

The vicious Israeli aggression on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip adds to the suffering of the people who have been under an imposed siege causing a severe shortage of food, medicine, electricity and various types of fuel. The aggression which started this morning has killed and injured tens of Palestinians in Gaza.

Ramallah, 27/12/08. This morning, Israel started a massive offensive in the Gaza Strip, leaving behind death, destruction and intense suffering. Medical teams, fire fighters and civilians have been working all day to safe those buried under the rubble of destroyed houses, to transport the injured and death to the hospitals, to extinguish the fires, to protect the children, whilst fearing for the lives of their loved ones in the face of renewed attacks.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke

You are probably aware that the Israeli Cabinet has in the last few days approved the launch of a military operation against Gaza by all the forces of the Israeli demolishing forces (IDF). The assault was launched at around 11:30 am and carried out in two separate waves of attacks, during which over 100 bombs were dropped on dozens of targets. Some 80 warplanes and helicopters took part in the assault destroying several civil police compound and civilian homes.

Recent publications have highlighted the impact of human rights violations, poverty and extraction of natural resources on the health status of the indigenous people of West Papua. However, the Australian medical literature has so far remained silent on this issue.

Long-standing allegations of violence being perpetrated against Papuan civil society are supported by accounts given by West Papuan refugees involved in an Australian-based study.

15-16 December 2008, The Arab Scout Center, Cairo, Egypt

The PHM Global Secretariat, in collaboration with the Environment and Development Program of the Association for Health and Environmental Development (AHED), has organized a 2-days seminar on the Social and Environmental Determinants of Health in which the Global Secretariat has launched the Second Global Health Watch (GHW2) in Cairo.

12 November 2008, Center of the Book, Cape Town, South Africa

The launch was chaired by Marian Jacobs; Molefi Sefularo, the Deputy Minister of Health gave an opening speech; Fran Baum spoke on the report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health; David Sanders gave an overview of GHW2 and Ncwame Cedile spoke about PHM South Africa.

A special programme for launching of the Global Health Watch Report was organized on 7th November 2008 in the 54th Main Book Fair in Porto Alegre. The presentations were jointly organized by the School of Public Health of Rio Grande do Sul and other members of the PHM-Brazil, including the organisations such as: GAPA (AIDS Support and Prevention Group) and ABRASBUCO (Brazilian Association of Collective Oral Health). This was the first time an activity about the Watch took place in Brazil.

Program for launching of Global Health Watch 2 Report was organized on 6th Nov. in Gandhi Medical Collage, Bhopal, MP. Program is jointly organized by Community Medicine Department, GMC, Bhopal and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (PHM-India).