Chaine De L`Espoir and Dubai Cares Joint Medical Mission Call upon the EU to Intercede on Behalf of Humanitarian Organizations

Mission Includes Specialized Surgical Team to Treat Child Trauma
PARIS--(Business Wire)--
A joint Dubai Cares and La Chaine de L'Espoir mission is en route to the Gaza
Strip, where a specialized surgical and medical team will treat children wounded
in the ongoing war. The 4-member medical team headed by Dr. Eric Cheysson,
Vascular Surgeon and Vice President of La Chaine de L'Espoir is still waiting
for the Israeli authority permission to cross to Gaza.

More than 890 people have been killed and more than 3700 injured in the fighting
in Gaza, one of the most densely populated places in the world. According to the
latest UN estimates, Palestinian children, who are dying at a heavy rate in this
war, account for approximately one out of every three persons killed.

The mission follows an assessment of the needs of the civilian population in
Gaza and a survey of local hospitals, which are struggling to cope with the high
number of casualties amid limited specialized staff and diminishing levels of
medical supplies.

Dr. Eric Cheysson, said: "Over the past three days we have made repeated
requests to the Israeli government for safe passage into the Gaza strip. Until
now all of our requests have been denied. Evidently there is a humanitarian
crisis in Gaza which requires immediate assistance. We call upon the EU to
intercede on behalf of humanitarian organizations to step up the pressure on the
government of Israel to recognize the need for urgent relief and safe passage to
humanitarian workers and aid. We have come here with a clear mandate and we will
not leave until our mandate is fulfilled."

The joint Dubai Cares-La Chaine de L'Espoir mission will provide specialized
medical services not currently available in Gaza to perform life- and
limb-saving operations on injured children. In the absence of these specialized
surgeons, treatable limb injuries can result in amputations.

*Source: ME NewsWire

About La Chaine de l'Espoir:

La Chaine de l'Espoir is a non-profit association engaged in facilitating access
to medical care for the poorest children in developing countries. The
association puts together high-level medical teams through its important network
of French and best international specialists, surgeons, professional doctors and
hospitals.

About Dubai Cares:

Dubai Cares is the world's largest charitable establishment solely devoted to
improving primary education for underprivileged children. Its emergency
interventions - which to date include interventions in Chad, Myanmar and
Ethiopia - stems from its philosophy that guaranteeing the continuity of
children's education is as important as ensuring their physical well being.

*For more information, please visit Dubai Cares at www.dubaicares.ae

Dubai Cares
Omar Shehadeh, +971 4 3198365
omar.shehadeh@dubaicares.ae
or
Chaine De L'Espoir
Franoise Monard, + 33 1 44126673
fmonard@chainedelespoir.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009