Hamas-run Gaza conducts drill simulating Israeli attack

By Hani al-Shaer

PALESTINIAN RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AA) - Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry on Thursday conducted a drill to test the readiness of its emergency personnel in the event that Israel launches a major military assault against the besieged coastal enclave.

Held in the southern towns of Khan Yunis and Palestinian Rafah, dozens of emergency workers and medics took part in the exercise, which simulated devastating military attacks and other crisis scenarios.

The drill, which also simulated deadly road accidents, was organized in cooperation with Doctors of the World France, a French NGO.

Atef al-Ramlawi, director of the ministry’s emergency unit, told Anadolu Agency that the drill was intended to "test the response of ambulance crews, paramedics and administrative staff to emergency situations".

Magdi Muammar, an officer in the ministry’s ambulance service, to Anadolu Agency: "We live in exceptional circumstances; we must prepare for possible Israeli wars and aggression."

Since 2008, the besieged Gaza Strip has been the target of three major Israeli military onslaughts, the last of which in mid-2014 left more than 2,300 Palestinians dead, mostly civilians.