Gaza: Words are not enough.

For the past year, MSF staff have witnessed the inhumane violence and attacks on the people of Gaza, the systematic dismantling of the health system by Israeli forces, and the continuous mass displacement of people—all leading to the overwhelming medical and humanitarian needs those in Gaza are currently experiencing.

Words can't describe the horror of the situation, and they have not stopped the bombs. We need an immediate, enduring ceasefire to bring an end to this suffering.

We’ve been calling for this ceasefire for a year. Words are not enough. 

All-out war on the people of Gaza

The situation was already critical in Gaza before 7 October 2023, but it is now worse than ever. Since the atrocities committed by Hamas and Israel's war on Gaza in response, more than 41,500 people have been killed across the Strip, and more than 95,000 wounded. In the West Bank, 693 Palestinians have been killed during conflict—including 160 children. At least 17 Israelis have also been killed on the West Bank.

Israel’s all-out war has been marked by brutal violence and a complete disregard for humanity and civilian lives, with apparent violations of international humanitarian law. Israeli forces have conducted indiscriminate attacks which fail to distinguish between military targets and civilian lives, which have resulted in the destruction of crucial healthcare infrastructure and personnel and the bloodshed of civilians.  

People have been left without water, food, shelter, and basic services including medical care and sanitation. The blocking of critical humanitarian aid is further fuelling the medical and humanitarian disaster. Despite the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice and contrary to claims by the Israeli authorities, MSF teams have witnessed increased blockades, obstruction, and unjustifiable delays in the transport of medical supplies and equipment our patients need for treatment. Today, the vast number of border crossings remain closed with only a trickle of aid entering Gaza. 

Abdul

Abdul Rahman, a Palestinian boy from the north of Gaza, with his mother in MSF's reconstructive hospital in Jordan. Abdul nearly died during an Israeli attack while he was out looking for food for his family. He has had many surgeries both in Gaza and in Amman to try to restore the function of his leg, which was almost amputated after the attack. He longs to be reunited with his family who are still in Gaza but doesn't want to return to Gaza until the war is over and Gaza is rebuilt. © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos 

Dismantled healthcare system 

In the past year of the conflict, we have witnessed the worsening of the humanitarian and medical situation of people in Gaza. Bombings are leaving more and more people with traumatic injuries and burns. Communicable diseases, including skin conditions, are spreading. Polio has emerged after more than 25 years. On top of the significant casualty toll are the ‘silent killings’ from chronic illnesses or lack of care; people who have succumbed to conditions that are entirely preventable, or who have had their essential healthcare needs such as dialysis or pregnancy care disrupted due to the conflict.  

There is no health system to speak of left in Gaza. Israeli forces have routinely surrounded facilities, given evacuation orders in extremely dangerous conditions for patients and caretakers, and fired upon facilities, patients and medical staff—many of whom have been killed. They’ve raided facilities and arbitrarily arrested humanitarian workers. Since the start of the war, staff and patients from MSF have had to leave 14 different health structures and have endured 26 violent incidents (3.7 per month on average), which includes airstrikes damaging hospitals, tanks being fired at agreed deconflicted shelters, ground offensives into medical centres, and convoys fired upon. 

At least 306 aid workers, the vast majority Palestinian, have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, including seven MSF staff—most recently, we have mourned the loss of Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al Shalfouh, a driver for MSF in northern Gaza, who was killed by shrapnel injuries he suffered to his legs and chest on 8 October 2024. We are horrified and devastated by the killing of our colleagues, as well as the hundreds of other healthcare and aid workers over the past year. These incidents show the blatant disregard for medical humanitarian action and international humanitarian law.

The very few hospitals and medical facilities that remain operational cannot cope with the vast medical needs, often leaving patients without lifesaving care. MSF has witnessed patients dying on hospital floors, as hospitals have been overwhelmed and staff face critical shortages of essential supplies. Israeli authorities have on numerous occasions delayed and denied entry for items like oxygen concentrators, which are essential for anaesthesia, as well as surgical equipment and generators, without which it is almost impossible to provide surgical care. According to WHO, an estimated 12,000 people are currently in desperate need of medical evacuation from Gaza. 

Gaza

Karam, 17, from Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza, during a physiotherapy session at MSF's Reconstructive Surgery Hospital in Amman, Jordan. Karam nearly died after his family's house was leveled by an Israeli airstrike. He suffered severe burns to his face and other areas of his body, and also suffered a serious injury to his arm. © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos 

Displacement of millions

Continuous evacuation orders  and relentless bombings have forced those in Gaza into an almost endless flight for safety, often losing everything they own in the process. According to the UN, an estimated 1.9 million Gazans—90 per cent of the population—have been forced to flee at least once in the past year, including more than 43,000 pregnant women. People have been repeatedly displaced and forced into smaller and smaller areas under bombardment and increasingly inhumane conditions. Palestinians are now crammed into a small area of the Strip of Al Mawasi, with nowhere left to run, awaiting and fearing the next strike.  

Without access to latrines, hygiene essentials and showers, the treatment of illnesses associated with poor living conditions is impossible. As colder temperatures approach, displaced people in Gaza need  protection from the elements to survive.  

Nowhere is safe in Gaza. People need safety, and those who want to flee Gaza and  must be allowed to do so safely, with no prejudice to their right to return.  

Complicity and hypocrisy

As humanitarians, we are appalled by the escalation of violence since 7 October. The initial attacks by Hamas, the worsening of Israel’s inhumane 17-year blockade of the Gaza Strip and the decades-long occupation of the West Bank, and the attacks on civilians and healthcare are unacceptable.  

As the killings and destruction from Israeli forces continue to be relentless, international leaders are also responsible for this slaughter. The hypocrisy and complicity of Israel’s allies are appalling: The past year has clearly illustrated a hypocrisy in the support offered by the US, UK, Australia, Germany, and other nations for Israel. The lack of consistent diplomatic pressure, meaningful accountability and, in some cases, blind support has provided both military and diplomatic cover for Israel’s campaign In Gaza. 

The complete indifference to humanitarian laws in Gaza and Sudan, without any accountability, makes our world a terrifying place. A place where violence is uncontested, and civilians unprotected... As the world faces numerous, complex humanitarian tragedies, humanity itself is under attack. MSF will continue to stand by our patients to alleviate their suffering and restore their dignity. We will continue our work as doctors, as humanitarians, and as human beings. We will continue to bear witness and speak out, always based on our medical humanitarian action.

Dr Christos Christou
MSF International president

We need a ceasefire—now.

For a year, the world has catastrophically failed to reach a deal on a sustained ceasefire in Gaza, while the risk of a full-blown regional conflict is now increasing. Israel must immediately stop the indiscriminate killing of civilians in Gaza and urgently facilitate the delivery of aid to alleviate suffering inside the Strip, including through the reopening of vital border crossings, in compliance with the measures requested by the International Court of Justice.

A ceasefire alone will not fix the chaos and devastation that has been caused. It will not bring back loved ones or erase the trauma inflicted on millions. But it can prevent further deaths, allow the flow of aid, and enable the people of Gaza to begin to mend—over the coming years and even decades—some of what has been shattered over the past 365 horrifying days.  

MSF calls for the end of killings and suffering of civilians, which is only possible with an immediate and sustained ceasefire and an end to the blockade on Gaza.   

 

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