After two months of deployment to help Gaza Strip’s population, the Dixmude has returned to its home port. Taking advantage of the intervention’s positive results, France reiterates its help program for the benefit of civilians.
After two months of medical support, the French amphibious helicopter carrier “Dixmude” finally set sail. It had recently been anchored at El-Arich, about 24 miles away from the Gaza Strip. When deployed, it had been transformed into a hospital-ship, with a mission to care for seriously injured civilians. Set up from November 28 to January 27, the huge French Navy ship was equipped with two surgical units and 40 hospital beds. With its capacity to simultaneously care for 40 injured people and the presence of 70 doctors and nursing staff, the Dixmude offered a diversified range of care services.
Initially, the aim of its deployment’s in the Gaza Strip was to provide maximum care for seriously wounded people requiring long-term hospitalization. During two months, 124 civilian victims, including 59 children, occupied the helicopter carrier’s beds. Hundreds of other patients were received for outpatient operations. Overall, about 1,000 people were treated aboard, for 300 hours of complex surgery performed under conditions similar to those in a French hospital. In permanent cooperation with the Egyptian hospital system, the most severely injured were evacuated to specialized hospitals in Cairo via French light aviation helicopters.
A humanitarian partnership
Direct help to Gaza Strip’s population went beyond on board urgent care, with medical cargo deliveries orchestrated by the French Air and Space Force. More than ten A400M rotations have been carried out to transport over 1000 tons of freight towards El-Arich.
Given the exponential deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, the French army joined forces with the Jordanian air force. Both partners were able to parachute almost 14 tons of medical and sanitary freight next to a Jordanian field hospital located in the center of Gaza. During his visit, the French Minister of the Armed Forces declared that this medical offer would be long-term, in agreement with France’s partners.
The results of the Dixmude’s intervention in the Levantine Basin are largely positive, making France the first Western nation to provide significant aid to the Gazan population. Although the ship has withdrawn from El-Arich, France’s humanitarian help program will not end there. A number of substitute actions are currently being studied, including the continued transfer of Gazan children to French hospitals, the possible establishment of an intensive care and rescue surgery unit in Gaza, as well as the prolongation of freight deliveries. Through these actions, France reaffirms its humanitarian support to the Gazan population.
