DayofPal– Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF) has condemned a deadly and dysfunctional aid delivery system backed by Israel and the United States in the Gaza Strip.
The group denounced the killings of Palestinians seeking food, calling the situation “carnage” and warning of a collapsing healthcare system amid ongoing Israeli military operations.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, MSF urged the immediate protection of civilians attempting to access aid, as desperation mounts across the besieged enclave.
“Every day Palestinians are met with carnage in their attempts to receive supplies from the insufficient amount of aid trickling into Gaza,” the group said. “Seeking food should not be a death sentence.”
The statement followed one of the deadliest days in Gaza since the start of the humanitarian crisis, with at least 60 Palestinians killed and over 200 injured near an aid distribution site in Khan Younis, according to Gaza health authorities.
Survivors and witnesses described Israeli forces targeting large crowds with shelling and gunfire as they waited for flour and basic supplies.
“I saw people torn to pieces; it’s a disaster,” said Dr. Wafaa Abu Nemer, an MSF pediatrician. “Seeking food should not be a death sentence.”
According to Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal, Israeli drones and tanks opened fire on civilians who had gathered along the eastern road through Khan Younis in hopes of receiving aid.
“Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded,” Bassal reported.
Survivors offered harrowing accounts of the attack.
“Tens of thousands of hungry civilians gathered for the aid. Two Israeli shells were dropped in the middle of the crowd. Dozens of civilians, including children, were killed, and no one could help or save lives,” said Saeed Abu Liba, 38, in a video shared on social media. “May God punish the Israelis for their crimes.”
Another witness, Yousef Nofal, described the aftermath as a “massacre.”
“I saw many people motionless and bleeding on the ground,” he said. “Israeli soldiers continued firing on people as they fled the area.”
Mohammed Abu Qeshfa, another survivor, said he narrowly escaped. “I heard a loud explosion followed by heavy gunfire and tank shelling. I survived by a miracle,” he said.
Since the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating on May 26, Israeli attacks on its distribution points have reportedly killed more than 397 civilians and injured over 3,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
GHF was established to bypass the UN’s longstanding aid infrastructure in Gaza, but has drawn criticism from humanitarian organizations for exacerbating the crisis.
Aid groups have accused the foundation of violating humanitarian principles by restricting deliveries to central and southern Gaza, requiring civilians to travel long distances on foot, and failing to meet even basic needs.
Most major aid organizations, including the United Nations, have distanced themselves from GHF. The UN confirmed that Israel continues to block food and humanitarian assistance, with only a limited number of trucks reaching the territory, far from sufficient to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
On March 2, Israel shut Gaza’s primary border crossings, effectively sealing off food, medicine, and emergency supplies. Human rights groups have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.
An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report published last month projected that nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population faces imminent famine-level conditions (IPC Phase 5), the most severe classification of food insecurity.
“In this horrific situation, nothing can replace Nasser Hospital, the last remaining lifeline in the South,” said Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF’s emergency coordinator. “But the hospital is over-capacity and running on limited supplies; it is dangerously close to breaking point.”
As scenes of starvation, displacement, and death continue to emerge from Gaza, MSF has warned that using humanitarian aid as a tool of war could amount to grave international crimes.
“Weaponizing aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity,” the organization stated.
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