Injured Palestinians from Gaza arrive in Amman for treatment

(18 May 2018) A group of wounded protesters from the Gaza strip arrived in Jordan on Friday to receive medical treatment. The huge numbers of Palestinians wounded during protests in Gaza are putting additional pressure on Gaza's already stressed hospitals, which endure equipment and medicine shortages and face power cuts like the rest of the territory. "Because of the siege and the lack of medical services the situation is very difficult in Gaza Strip," said Jihad Qdaih, a Palestinian who was injured in Gaza. Jordan, upon instructions from King Abdullah II, sent ambulances to pick up the wounded for advanced treatment in the kingdom. Sulaiman al-Hilialat, director of the Jordanian field hospital, which has operated in Gaza since 2014, said the injured were in a critical condition, suffering from tissue and bone damage due to gunshot wounds. Gaza health officials say Israeli forces killed 59 Palestinians, most by gunfire, and injured 2,771 in border protests on Monday. Of those, 1,360 were wounded by live fire, 400 from shrapnel and 980 from gas inhalation. The majority of those wounded by live fire were struck in their lower limbs. The high casualty toll triggered a diplomatic backlash against Israel and new charges of excessive use of force against unarmed protesters. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...