Emergency response in Gaza: Berlin organization sends team
Published on 9. February 2024
from Corinna Schaefer
PXL_20240304_082711283
Press release from 29.01.25
The Berlin-based humanitarian emergency response organization CADUS is sending a medical team to Gaza at the beginning of February. CADUS will thus be the first German Emergency Medical Team (EMT) in the Gaza Strip.
CADUS founder and CEO Sebastian Jünemann explains: “This is our organization’s most complicated mission to date. Logistical challenges and the tense security situation go hand in hand with the particularly severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.”
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
More than 25,000 people have died and more than 63,000 people have been injured as a result of Israel’s military operation in Gaza in response to the terrorist attacks on October 7. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a widespread lack of medical care, water, food, fuel, accommodation and means of communication.
Medical help despite uncertainty
These circumstances not only put the people in Gaza in an emergency situation, but also make international aid more difficult. “Despite all the intensive preparations, we don’t know with certainty what to expect on the ground. But we are confident that we will be able to provide urgently needed medical aid in Gaza,” explains Tankred Beume, Head of Emergency Response at CADUS. The mission is being carried out on behalf of the WHO and as part of the WHO Emergency Medical Team (EMT) structure.
Potential donors for this mission are also affected by the consequences of the budget freeze. CADUS is therefore financing the mission from the organization’s last reserves and is calling for donations.
About CADUS
The independent and non-profit organization was founded in 2014. CADUS was deployed in Northeast-Syria and other areas for many years. The organization is currently mainly active in Ukraine. Its activities there include medical evacuations and training for medical personnel. In the CADUS Crisis Response Makerspace, the organization equips its emergency vehicles and develops equipment for international emergency and disaster relief.
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Behind every humanitarian response in a crisis zone is a team based in Berlin that ensures everything runs smoothly. One of them is our colleague Felix. He has been with CADUS for two years, and for over a year he has been leading our financial management as Head of Finance. In this interview, he explains how he and his team bridge the gap between the German tax office and the reality on the ground in a war zone.
