1. On July 22, 1994, the Israeli government decided to send emergency medical aid to the Rwandan refugees. The aid comprises medical personnel and equipment, including an IDF field hospital, flown to Zaire by Israeli Air Force airlift. The relief delegation is headed by Environment Minister Yossi Sarid.

2. It was decided to set up the field hospital in Goma in Zaire, where the UNHCR center and the logistics base of the French force ('Operation Turqoise') are located. The number of Rwandan refugees in the area of Goma is estimated at between one and two million.

3. The Israeli representative to the U.N. institutions in Genena maintained regular contact with the civilian-military coordinating team of the UNHCR, from which it received permission for the Israeli operation, and made the necessary landing arrangements in Goma. Parallel to this, the IDF received the necessary permission through international military liaison. The Israeli embassies in Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Asmera and Cairo obtained the flyover rights from those countries on the airlift's course. The Israeli ambassador in Kinshasa obtained the permission of the Zaire authorities for the arrival of the IDF delegation, including uniforms and arms.

4. The Situation Center and the Israeli Foreign Ministry received many calls from citizens and organizations prepared to volunteer for the operation, and to take in or even adopt orphaned children from Rwanda.

5. On July 24, a coordination meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry. The possibility of integrating volunteers from non-governmental organizations, such as Magen David Adom, at a later stage, was raised.

6. On July 25 at 6:00 A.M., the first Israeli plane landed in Goma and was received by the head of the regional Zaire authorities and the Head of Protocol of the Zaire Foreign Ministry. With the help of the UNHCR, locations were found for the hospitalization center as well as for the emergency ambulatory center. The heads of the Israeli delegation later met with the Prime Minister of Zaire.

7. The Israeli delegation comprises about 50 medical staff and an additional 30 auxiliary staff. Eight Hercules planes brought the delegation to Goma (one carrying only water for the use of the delegation itself). This is the largest medical aid mission ever sent abroad by the IDF.

8. The field hospital, once set up, will contain 120 beds. The Israeli team is so organized that it can function independently, without outside assistance. The current supplies are menat to last for two weeks, but will be replenished if necessary.

9. The continuation of the operation will be evaluated at the end of the initial two-week period, taking into consideration the situation in the field. A new team will be sent if conditions warrant it.

10. The French organization Medecins Sans Frontieres operating in the area has already asked to coordinate efforts with the Israeli delegation. Environment Minister Sarid will meet this afternoon with the heads of the French unit which is coordinating all French activity in the area, both military and medical.

Hospital

In coordination with the UNHCR and the Zaire government, it was agreed that the IDF hospital would treat Rwandan refugees and not residents of Zaire (who are referred to the Zaire hospital in Goma) or Rwandan military personnel. This notwithstanding, every person who comes to the hospital receives the necessary treatment.

In the course of the first 12 days in Goma, the IDF team received 1215 patients at the hospital emergency room, of whom 723 were hospitalized. Fifty-five persons died, of which seven were pronounced dead on arrival. Sixteen operations and surgical procedures were performed, as well as several births.

The incidence of cholera is gradually declining. There is a growing number of cases of severe dysentery, pneumonia and meningitis. The hospital has been supplied with the appropriate medicines from Israel.

In light of the large number of orthopedic operations, the relief team has been augmented with an additional orthopedic doctor and the necessary surgical equipment.

Children

The State of Israel donated to UNICEF 80,000 measles vaccinations to help immunize the many children in the refugee camps.

Following the visit of Israeli Environment Minister Yossi Sarid to the UNICEF camp located near the IDF hospital, the hospital 'adopted' the orphans there. It was agreed that children requiring medical treatment would be brought to the IDF hospital and would return to the UNICEF camp following treatment. When the IDF field hospital was first opened, the UNICEF staff had requested treatment of a group of ten orphans, one of whom was in critical condition. Following treatment in the hospital, his condition improved markedly. All the children were later returned to the UNICEF camp.

Medical Centers

In addition to the field hospital, an ambulatory center comprising two doctors and two medics was opened in the Katindo camp. This center was closed at the end of the week, after all the refugees in Goma and its environs were transferred to the large camps located outside the city.

Cooperation with Other Organizations

The Israeli operation was conducted in full coordination with UNHCR, both logistically and medically, through its Geneva offices.

Cooperation between the IDF mission and the various organizations in Goma has found expression in a variety of ways:

The Dutch government recently sent a medical team which was co-opted to the IDF team. An Israeli doctor participated in an operation in the French army hospital, and a French surgeon subsequently took part in an operation carried out in the Israeli hospital. All those involved in medical aid cooperated in transferring the sick and injured from the refugee camps to the hospitals, in an organized manner. A Swiss pilot has volunteered to fly emergency cases to the Israeli hospital by helicopter, though this has not yet been necessary.

The Second Team

On Wednesday, August 3, an air force plane left Israel carrying, in addition to 25 tons of supplies, additional medics and the relief medical team. This team, numbering 86 persons, remained in Goma for two weeks.

Donation Campaigns

Magen David Adom (the Israeli first aid organization), in cooperation with the Israeli government, established a fund for collecting donations in Israel. In addition, the UNICEF branch in Israel began a donation campaign for children. Money collected will be transferred to the UNICEF central office. In addition, Jewish communities throughout the world have expressed interest in donating money and articles for the refugees. Means of transferring these donations are currently being studied.