Siege of Gaza: MSF denounces deliberate humanitarian catastrophe
The US-Israel proposition to control the distribution of supplies in Gaza under the guise of humanitarian aid raises grave humanitarian, ethical, security and legal concerns, says Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
Making aid conditional on forced displacement and vetting of the population is another tool in the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population.
MSF firmly rejects and condemns any plan that further reduces availability of aid and subjugates it to Israeli military occupation objectives.
We are witnessing, in real time, the creation of conditions for the eradication of Palestinian lives in Gaza, says MSF.
The obstruction of humanitarian aid is a direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2720, which calls for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians. Claims that aid is being diverted by Hamas remain unverified and in no way justify such measures. As the occupying power, Israel must facilitate impartial humanitarian assistance for the population in need.
The UN, the UK, EU member states, and all those with influence over Israel must urgently use their political and economic leverage to stop the instrumentalisation of aid. Humanitarian supplies, food, fuel and medicines must be allowed to reach the population of Gaza now.
Since Israel’s resumption of attacks and its total blockade of aid on 2 March, Gaza has become a hell on earth for Palestinians.
The survival of Palestinians lies at the mercy of Israeli authorities, who are denying the entire population access to food, water, medical care and shelter. Israel continues to pursue its campaign of ethnic cleansing by deliberately destroying the conditions necessary for life.
Organisations including World Central Kitchen and the World Food Programme have announced that they have no more food stocks available in Gaza: most community kitchens and bakeries have closed. MSF medical teams in Gaza City have seen a 32 percent increase in the number of patients presenting with malnutrition over the past two weeks.
Dwindling fuel stocks are limiting the ability to desalinate and distribute water. Those health facilities that still function – already critically inadequate in number and capacity for the population – are still being attacked and are suffering from rapidly diminishing stocks of medications and other essential supplies. MSF teams in Gaza have received no supplies for 11 weeks and face critical shortages of essential medical items such as sterile compresses and sterile gloves.
Israel’s evacuation orders and established no-go military zones now cover 70 percent of Gaza. The population has been forcibly transferred from one place to another, while not a single area of Gaza has been spared from attacks. The desperateness of the situation is such that MSF teams have treated and discharged patients only to see them return with new injuries.
Israels plan to instrumentalise aid is a cynical response to the very humanitarian crisis they created. If they wished, Israel and its allies could lift the blockade today and let humanitarian aid reach all those in Gaza whose survival depends on it.
The UK's responsibilities
"The UK Prime Minister must publicly condemn the Israeli government for the atrocities it is inflicting on the people of Gaza," says Dr Natalie Roberts, Executive Director of MSF UK.
"Humanitarian assistance should never be used as a weapon of war against the civilian population of Gaza. Failure to take immediate action and to adopt a clear position on these extensively documented and flagrant breaches of international law leaves the UK government at high risk of charges of complicity.
"The survival of more than two million Palestinians in Gaza hangs in the balance."
MSF and the Israel – Gaza war
An unprecedented humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Gaza. MSF teams have worked to treat the wounded and supply overwhelmed hospitals as indiscriminate airstrikes and a state of siege threaten millions of men, women and children.