(NewsNation) — Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières on Thursday called for an “immediate and sustained cease-fire” to address the aid disruptions in Gaza and ensure people receive sufficient medical care.
“This ask is a simple ask, yet urgent: Stop indiscriminate attacks on civilians, medical staff and health facilities,” said Christopher Lockyear, the international medical humanitarian organization’s secretary general, who visited Gaza in March. “Allow unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza, most importantly, there must be an immediate, sustained cease-fire.”
According to MSF, the health care system has been severely affected by the Israel-Hamas war, leaving people without adequate medical care despite increasing humanitarian needs.
“Humanitarian assistance requires people to be able to access essential services,” said Marie-Aure Perreaut Revial, who worked as an emergency coordinator in Gaza in December and March. “Yet, humanitarians can barely visit besieged northern Gaza. While in the south, we have already been forced to evacuate six health facilities, including Nasser Hospital — what was the biggest hospital in South Gaza.”
Staff emphasized that women and children are still “being disproportionately affected by this conflict.”
“In December, the WCNSF (‘Wounded Children No Surviving Family’ case) was new to us all. It is now so common that we have a standard operating procedure for it,” Revial said.
“We see gunshot wounds now in children from quadcopters, which are basically drones with guns,” said Dr. Amber Alayyan, the group’s deputy program manager for the Middle East. “We have been seeing an alarming number of increasing infectious diseases, including hepatitis A outbreaks.”
Alayyan highlighted the need to “safely” move cancer and dialysis patients care, but several restrictions are stopping such efforts.
“The other thing that we need to be able to do that we cannot do is evacuate patients, patients who cannot under these current circumstances receive care in Gaza. They need to be able to do that without prejudicing their right of return,” she said.
The organization says hospital and medical staff are facing attacks rather than being protected.
Israeli forces have targeted MSF convoys, detained staff and bulldozed vehicles, the organization said. Hospitals have been bombed and raided hampering aid efforts. The organization reports five of its medical staff members have died.
“Humanitarian assistance relies on the safety of aid workers, to bring in supplies, to distribute food and to treat patients,” Lockyear said. “Yet, we have tragically seen nearly 200 aid workers killed in Gaza.”
He added: “I conclude by paying tribute to all aid workers in Gaza and around the world, who with a great deal of self-sacrifice devote their lives to helping people in need.”
Alayyan said rebuilding Gaza’s health care infrastructure to its prewar state will take years.
“We rely on health infrastructure in Gaza because it was robust and because we need it, and I’m sorry, but you could add 1,000 field hospitals, you’re not going to be able to replace the hospital system, the health care system that was in Gaza before the war,” Alayyan said.