A Norwegian trauma specialist and anaesthesiologist who has treated casualties in Gaza has accused Israel of "repetitious violations of international law".
Dr Mads Gilbert has written two books about his experiences, including the recently published A Night in Gaza. He is giving a presentation in the O'Reilly Theatre in Dublin tonight.
Speaking to The Irish Times, he said he had noticed that with each of the four Israeli assaults on Gaza – in 2006, 2009, 2012 and last year – the intensity and level of brutality had increased.
Assault
He said five times more mortars were dropped on Gaza last year than in the assault in 2009. “It was extreme. The Israeli army used more armaments than that used by the US army to conquer
Iraq
, ” he said.
He said 142 families lost three or more members and 551 children died last year. The entire population was made subject to collective punishment and because it was a captive enclave, the population had no place to flee.
Apartheid
“My big question as a doctor is how can a government and army get away with these repetitious violations of international law. Israeli immunity is something that should be tackled. This is not a ragtag collection of terrorists. The generals of its army should be taken to the
International Criminal Court
. ”
Dr Gilbert claimed the ruling system in Israel was an apartheid one, with its West Bank wall segregating Palestinians. He said the totality of attacks on Israel was weak and meagre compared to its response. While saying he supported neither Hamas nor Fatah and condemned any civilian attacks, he contended Palestinians had the right to defend themselves.
