DayofPal– Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) has issued a grave warning over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, condemning Israel’s ongoing military operations as a “blatant disregard” for civilian lives and humanitarian workers.
The organization described the besieged enclave as a “mass grave” amid mounting casualties and the collapse of medical services.
“Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance,” said Amande Bazerolle, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza. “We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population in Gaza.”
MSF reported that its teams have been forced to evacuate multiple medical facilities due to escalating airstrikes and evacuation orders by Israeli forces. Other teams remain trapped with patients inside facilities, often unable to leave for hours at a time due to the surrounding violence.
According to the group, both Israeli and Hamas strikes have occurred near MSF’s field hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza. Israeli forces have also carried out attacks near the Al-Aqsa and Nasser hospital compounds.
Since March 18, MSF has been unable to return to the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, where pediatric care was set to resume.
Mobile medical services in northern Gaza have been suspended, and access to clinics such as Shaboura in Rafah has become impossible.
MSF emphasized severe shortages in pain management medications, antibiotics, surgical supplies, and fuel, all essential to sustaining critical operations in hospitals.
Fuel scarcity has pushed hospitals to the brink of closure, as they rely on generators to power intensive care units, operating rooms, and ventilators. Without urgent fuel deliveries, MSF warned that medical facilities will no longer be able to sustain life-saving treatments.
Since the latest phase of the Israeli assault began nearly a month ago, at least 1,630 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been killed.
The death toll since October 7, 2023, now exceeds 51,000, with more than 116,000 wounded, according to health authorities in Gaza.
Humanitarian access has also been severely restricted. On March 1, Israel shut all border crossings into Gaza and suspended the entry of humanitarian aid. The move, heavily criticized by international organizations, has further intensified the humanitarian crisis.
Despite growing international calls to ease the blockade, Israeli officials have doubled down. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated, “Not a single grain of food should enter Gaza” until Hamas releases all captives.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar echoed the sentiment, saying only “hellfire” should be delivered to Gaza. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that no humanitarian aid would be permitted, calling it a “pressure tool” against Hamas.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) declared the current conditions in Gaza the worst since the war began. According to OCHA, aid has not entered the territory in over a month, the longest blockade Gaza has endured to date.
Food insecurity has reached critical levels. According to the IPC Acute Food Insecurity classification, more than 90% of Gaza’s population is in crisis or worse. Nearly half are experiencing emergency-level food shortages, while 16% face catastrophic hunger.
Humanitarian organizations continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded aid access, and protection for medical workers and civilians, warning that Gaza’s population is on the brink of total collapse.
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