"Doctors without borders" forced to halt work in Gaza City

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors without bnorders has announced it is suspending medical activities in Gaza City after its clinics became encircled by Israeli forces.

“We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces. This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most at-risk people – infants in neonatal care, people with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses – unable to move and in grave danger,” said Jacob Granger, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, Caliber.Az reports. 

In a statement released by the international medical humanitarian organisation, MSF described the dire situation facing civilians in the north of the Gaza Strip. While large numbers have fled south following repeated evacuation orders, hundreds of thousands remain trapped in Gaza City, many of them unable or unwilling to leave.

“Those who are able to leave face an impossible choice: either remain in Gaza City under intense military operations and the deterioration of law and order, or abandon what’s left of their houses, their belongings and their memories, to move to areas where humanitarian conditions are rapidly collapsing,” the statement added.

MSF reiterated its call for the protection of medical facilities, staff, and patients, and urged immediate steps to ensure safe access to humanitarian assistance.

By Sabina Mammadli