Doctors Without Borders to Israel: 'Restore humanity in Gaza'

Doctors Without Borders has appealed to Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of the people in Gaza and called for the "restoration of humanity" so that people in the conflict zone could be provided with their basic needs.

The humanitarian organization expressed deep frustration over the escalating challenges hindering aid delivery, leading to the suspension of most operations, according to reports from GMA News.

"This is unimaginable. This is inhumane. Basic humanity needs to be restored in Gaza. People in Gaza need protected spaces, and ways to reach them safely and unimpeded," said Dr Christos Christou, international president of Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

"The indiscriminate bombing must stop. The egregious level of collective punishment currently being meted out on the people of Gaza must end," he added.

MSF general director Claire Magone, meanwhile, urged Israeli authorities to establish "truly safe areas" and evacuation routes for civilians in Gaza.

"Faced with this critical situation, we asked the Israeli authorities to organize and maintain truly safe areas where people can hope to be spared from the bombs," she said.

"We also ask that an evacuation route be organized as quickly as possible so that people seeking shelter who seek to flee can do so," she added.

Survival

The MSF also demanded that access to essential services like drinking water and power supply be restored for the survival also of healthcare and humanitarian personnel working on the ground.

According to Christou, hospitals and clinics have been attacked. Others receive orders to evacuate with just a couple of hours' notice.

"Patients – including those in critical condition – risk their lives either by moving or by staying behind, in both cases perhaps to die without treatment," he said.

MSF surgeon Dr Ghassan Abu Sitta said that many bodies were just left behind as people were too afraid to bury them amid the crossfire. Some morgues are also "overflowing".

"The bodies are stacked up. People are too afraid to bury their dead. When you drive by one of the targeted buildings, there's the stench of decaying bodies. They are no longer able to take the bodies out from underneath the rubble," he said.

In Al Shifa Hospital with 700 patients capacity, surgeon Dr Nedal Abed said they are accommodating around 3,000 patients. Many severely wounded patients were just waiting in emergency rooms.

The supply of medicines is also running out. Hospital staff said patients were screaming in pain.

Abed said around 40,000 civilians were crowding inside the hospital to protect themselves from attacks. They are sleeping on the floors, corridors, and in between hospital beds.

The Gaza health ministry said 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 injured in Israeli air strikes.

With the current situation, Christou said, "As a medical and humanitarian organization, we want to do so much more. Today, this is just impossible."