From uucp Wed Mar 3 11:36 EST 1993 >From jad Wed Mar 3 11:32 EST 1993 remote from ckuxb.att.com From: jad@ckuxb.att.com Date: Wed, 3 Mar 93 11:32 EST To: jad@hopper.acs.virginia.edu Received: from ckuxb.att.com by hopper.acs.virginia.edu.ACS.Virginia.EDU; Wed, 3 Mar 1993 11:36 EST Content-Type: text Content-Length: 6232 Status: OR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DR. CONSTANTIOS ALEXIOU, Physician, Greece ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I WAS ALSO WITNESS TO MERCILESS, SIMULTANEOUS CARPET BOMBING FROM AIRCRAFT, ARTILLERY AND GUN BOATS. EVEN DURING THE CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT, THEY WERE BROUGHT IN SYSTEMATICALLY. I SAW TOTAL DEVASTATION FROM BOMBARDMENT OF THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS SUCH AS SABRA, CHATILA, FAKHANI, MAZDA'A. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My medical team consisted of five doctors and six nurses, and Damascus was the first stop. There, the International Red Cross policy towards us, as expressed by those officials in Damascus, can only be termed as strange. I refer to this because besides their negative stand towards a well-equipped and organised team, they were equally unwilling to hurry through large supplies of blood and the medicines offered by Greece, and desperately needed in West Beirut. As it was impossible for all the team to proceed to West Beirut, half of the group stayed in Damascus and after that, turned back to Greece. The other half travelled by taxis and arrived in East Beirut after an 11 hour trip. For three days in East Beirut, we attempted to obtain permission to travel into West Beirut, but it was impossible. The answer was that Israeli forces had cut off all means of communication with West Beirut. On the fourth day, we tried in an official way and succeeded in passing through the blockade of Israeli and Phalange lines. I cannot reveal, of course, the method used without exposing other people and countries. While waiting in East Beirut, we had a continual, extensive "bird's eye view" of bombardment by air, land and sea of the tragic city; horrific bombardment -- quite indiscriminate. The first hospital I went to in West Beirut was called Akka, nearly totally destroyed. Only in its basement was there something suggesting a first-aid station. There I operated on a crippled man, taking from his right leg two metallic pieces. These, I think, were fragments of a sort of cluster bomb. During that time, two ladies were admitted seriously suffering from extensive burns due to the burning bomb explosions. In the same place, I saw the children's department totally damaged by shelling, while in the doctors' bedroom it was apparent that the hole in the wall was due to a shell coming obviously from the sea. Because it was not possible for me to work at underground level, I left for Gaza Hospital. This was a building of six or seven floors, but everything above the ground floor had been destroyed and its function was limited to the first and second basement. Finally, we went to a private gynaecological clinic. The Palestine Red Crescent had rented the fourth floor, turning it into a general surgical unit for emergency cases. >From my stay and work in West Beirut, I can assess the hospital conditions as follows. First, there was a lack of medical facilities and supplies, and of specialised medical staff. Second, the conditions for the care of the wounded were terribly difficult, since hospitals had already been bombed, while the functioning of the rest became problematic since they were unable to offer any security. Thirdly, the lack of vital things such as electricity, water, even blood posed significant obstacles for the care of the injured people. Fourthly, a great number of the seriously injured could not be looked after properly by units created in a hurry. All these factors, of course, resulted in a high rate of mortality and a high incidence of post- operative complications. During my stay there, I have been witness to an absolute blockade of the town from air, land and sea. In spite of any elementary human rights, the Israelis and Phalangists deprived 400,000 people of water, electricity, food supplies, making telephone communications difficult when they had not cut them off entirely. I had already realised that medical supplies, even blood, were significantly prevented by Israelis and Phalangists from being sent. I was also witness to merciless simultaneous carpet bombing from aircraft, artillery and gun boats. Even during the cease-fire agreeent they were brought in systematically. I saw total devastation by bombardment of the residential districts such as Sabra, Chatila, Fakhani, Mazda'a. The Israelis, as well, did not hesitate in bombing indiscriminately refugee camps, hospitals and cemeteries. I must end by alluding to the use of burning bombs [unquenchable white phosphorus], toy bombs [designed to attract children -- to explode when manipulated], vacuum bombs, etc. I also should tell you about the psychological war exercised daily by false bombing with illuminations and sound bombs, and the use of threatening leaflets. The car explosions and the presence of snipers supplemented the atmosphere of terror and anxiety and fear in the besieged city. Now I will show you some indicative, characteristic slides taken by me. A small child seriously injured when her sister was playing with an unknown weapon, probably a toy bomb; it exploded and her sister died. She was very seriously injured. Another child seriously injured in its abdomen. Next one: again, young people. Next one: another one died, [after being] very seriously injured. A baby; it was injured when it was embraced by his mother, who had died from a fragmentation bomb, probably, which injured it in the peritoneum and the right groin. Next one: another seriously burned by a phosphorus bomb. This is the insertion of spots of small fragments, probably from a fragmentation bomb. Next one: a very extensive burn from burning bombs. The ratio of civilians to fighters in my hospital was 25 to 1. Second, the use of prohibited weapons was obvious. Again, the bombardment of residential areas was obvious. Fourth, there were no injured persons by bullet, but by fragments from shells, burns and collapsed buildings. My stay in West Beirut was enough to convince me of the size and the dimensions of the Israeli action which is included in the term genocide. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *