Newly published American study has revealed that the constant use of tear gas by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in Palestinian refugee camps has devastating effects on the physical and mental health of residents especially women children and the elderly.
The study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and published on the university’s website on Thursday said that Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem is the most exposed place to tear gas in the world.
Aida camp like other Palestinian occupied areas is repeatedly attacked with tear gas. However the IOF use of tear gas has turned into a daily occurrence since the US president Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on 6th December.
Researchers conducted a survey of 236 individuals in Aida camp as well as 10 focus groups in Aida and Dheisheh camps in August 2017.
Based on the survey 100% of the citizens reported being exposed to tear gas in the past year 84.3% were exposed while in their homes 9.4% at work 10.7% in school and 8.5% in cars.
Residents described various physical effects from such frequent exposure to tear gas including loss of consciousness miscarriage breathing difficulties asthma coughing dizziness rashes severe pain allergic dermatitis headaches and neurological irritability blunt trauma from canister injuries and more.
The Israeli constant use of tear gas has also resulted in very high levels of psychological distress which leads to sleep disruption acute stress responses and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder.
Children and teachers in the camp reported being unable to carry out school activities during the IOF gas attacks.
UN Commissioner General Pierre Krähenbühl has said that the women of Aida camp rush to hide their children in locked rooms in their houses to protect them against suffocation during the IOF tear gas raids.
The researchers concluded that the IOF soldiers use tear gas in a widespread frequent and indiscriminate manner in violation of international laws.
The lead researcher Rohini Haar said “This huge amount of tear gas has been fired on poor neighborhoods not over weeks but years. I have not seen or heard of anything like that anywhere else in the world.”
The researchers said that the IOF should immediately stop using tear gas in ways that increase the risk of unwarranted injury and death such as firing canisters directly at people or using tear gas in confined spaces with limited escape routes.
They called for the criminalization of tear gas firing in residential areas near schools or hospitals or near elderly people or others who may have difficulty escaping.
They also asked the Israeli government to disclose information about the types of chemical irritants used in the West Bank including their chemical composition to enable proper treatment.
