Doctors Without Borders calls for Gaza ceasefire to be immediately restored

GENEVA

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Wednesday urged Israel to restore the ceasefire in Gaza by avoiding "its campaign of destruction and the nightmarish, massive bombing."

MSF is "horrified" by the attacks launched by Israel, breaking a two-month-old ceasefire and killing hundreds, Claire Magone, general director for MSF France, said in a statement.

Magone said that MSF received 75 dead on arrival and scores of wounded in just three of the facilities it supports.

"In line with the tactics that the Israeli authorities have applied since October 2023, they have once again chosen to collectively punish the people of Gaza – with the explicit approval of their closest ally, the United States – striking with an intensity not seen since the early stages of the war," she said. "For over 15 months, before the ceasefire, people in Gaza were indiscriminately killed, mutilated, wounded, and displaced."

The latest attacks and evacuation orders "make us fear that a new phase of military operations in Gaza is about to begin," Magone said, and warned that Palestinians in Gaza will simply not be able to withstand this, neither physically nor mentally.

"Their hopes of recovering at least part of their previous lives are being shattered," she added.

She called for the ceasefire to be immediately restored and for Israel to not restart "its campaign of destruction and the nightmarish, massive bombing on the people of Gaza."

MSF also called for the blockade to be lifted and for people to regain unrestricted access to basic supplies and aid. Injured people and patients requiring urgent medical care should be allowed to seek care outside of Gaza, provided their right to a safe and dignified return is granted, she added.

Israel killed more than 400 Palestinians on Tuesday, shattering a fragile ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US in January. The Israeli military also killed at least 19 Palestinians in new overnight and dawn airstrikes Wednesday.

Since October 2023, nearly 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, and more than 112,000 have been injured in the Israeli onslaught in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.