Doctors Without Borders said Israel is committing “clear signs of ethnic cleansing” in its war in Gaza.
In its latest report, the organization said the war, which the Gaza Ministry of Health reports has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians and displaced 90 percent of the Palestinian population, has caused “physical and mental damage on a scale that would overwhelm any functioning health system.”
“Our firsthand observations of the medical and humanitarian catastrophe inflicted on Gaza are consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organizations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza,” it said.
Doctors Without Borders blamed Israeli forces for the "unbearable” conditions, saying they are “crushing an entire population under bombs and rubble” in the response to Hamas’s attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
Given Israel’s blockade of medical supplies and essential items, Doctors Without Borders said only 17 out of 36 of Gaza’s hospitals were fully functioning as of mid-October, with the other 19 out of service entirely. Several teams have had to carry out surgery without sufficient anesthesia and witnessed medical issues such as skin diseases, upper respiratory tract infections and diarrhea because of the forced conditions.
“Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has witnessed 14 months of repeated attacks on civilians, the dismantling of essential civilian infrastructure including healthcare facilities, and a systematic denial of humanitarian assistance, seemingly underpinning Israel’s campaign to unravel the very fabric of society in Gaza,” the report said.
It also detailed how, during the last year, the organization's own staff suffered from 41 attacks or violent incidents from airstrikes and other means, leading to eight deaths of MSF colleagues and "many” deaths and injuries of family members.
“Medical personnel and patients alike have been forced to urgently evacuate health facilities on 17 separate occasions, often literally running for their lives. MSF has only been able to restart activities in three facilities,” they said.
MSF added that, even if the war were to end today, the impacts on Gaza’s health care system would have “unprecedented” long-term impacts.
“A whole society needs rebuilding, while coping with a staggering number of war-wounded who may require years of rehabilitation, and risk infections, amputations and permanent disability,” MSF said in the report. “The mental trauma caused by the violence, the loss of family members and homes, the strenuous living conditions and the repeated displacement, represent a massive and urgent need, which will span generations.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously denied any claims of genocide in Gaza, saying that Hamas is the real perpetuator of the war.
