BICOM

An IDF field hospital in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu will begin operating today, providing essential medical services to the victims of Saturday’s devastating earthquake.

The 260-strong team from IDF Home Front Command arrived yesterday, having been delayed due to aftershocks which caused damage to the landing strips at Kathmandu Airport. The team has brought with it 95 tonnes of medical and humanitarian supplies and the field hospital will be staffed by 122 doctors, nurses and paramedics. They will operate an emergency room, operating theatres, X-ray facilities and a room for expectant mothers. An IDF spokeswoman added, “We also have an eye doctor and other types of specialists.”

60 beds will be available and staff will have the capacity to treat at least 200 people daily. Channel Two reported that it will comprise the largest ever IDF hospital, despite similar facilities having been established in disaster zones in recent years including Haiti and the Philippines. Col. Yoram Laredo, who heads the IDF mission, told Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday that “we are highly motivated and ready for our task here; we are proud to represent the state and we hope to save lives and achieve results.” An expert IDF rescue team yesterday searched several collapsed buildings in Kathmandu but did not locate any survivors.

Meanwhile, Israeli-based humanitarian organization IsraAID said yesterday that it has sent a second team to Nepal, with a delegation already on the ground coordinating efforts with the Nepalese authorities, UN agencies, and international aid agencies. Yesterday, the IsraAID team oversaw the removal of bodies from rubble in the Gongabu area of the capital. Tomorrow, the latest IsraAID team will focus efforts on the devastated Sindhupalchowk district. Eran Magen, IsraAID’s search and rescue leader described the situation as “a race against time,” explaining, “The next seven days are crucial if we want to save people still buried under the rubble or stranded in remote locations.”