Letters

‘Mercy ships’ and crisis in Gaza

Humanitarian emergency

Wed Nov 08 2023 - 00:11

Sir, – Recently I learned about the existence of four important hospital ships which are also called “mercy ships”. Two of these hospital ships are run by civilians and one is called the MV Global Mercy and the other is called the MV Africa Mercy. The United States Navy also has two hospital ships which are called the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort. These much-needed ships, which do not carry arms on board, have the ability to travel by sea, in times of crisis, to the ports of those countries which find themselves unable to provide for their own citizens the type of hospital-standard medical care that they may vitally need.

But if any of these hospital ships were to sail over by the coast of the Gaza Strip, they could then to take on board from a safe distance (by the transportation upon smaller boats) some of the sick and wounded patients, including also some of the wounded children of Gaza, who are sadly not receiving the vital hospital-type of medical help that they badly need due to the ongoing violent conflict happening in the region.

Perhaps these hospital ships whenever they arrive off the coast of the Gaza Strip could be protected during the course of their important humanitarian mission by military aircraft operating under the auspices of the United Nations. Maybe, perhaps, in the future other large ocean travelling ships could also in turn be converted into UN protected hospital ships to provide a similar level of care in the Gaza Strip?

Other counties in the world who may find themselves also in a medical crisis like the one the people of Gaza are in may benefit too from similar visitations of these “hospital ships” when they become even more common? – Yours, etc,

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SEAN O’BRIEN,

Kilrush,

Co Clare.