Worried about ‘what is coming’ in Gaza ‘nightmare’: Doctors Without Borders

ATHENS

The current humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip due to relentless Israeli bombardment is a “nightmare,” according to a top official of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, who said the organization is equally apprehensive about “what is coming.”

“Due to the very strict siege on Gaza, most of the medical facilities are running out of fuel and even basic medicines, which are needed to operate. Electricity is cut off and clean water is also scarce,” Achilleas Tzemos, general director of MSF in Greece, told Anadolu.

“We are very, very concerned about the situation in Gaza. Out of the 35 hospitals in Gaza, 12 are not operational anymore, either because of the damage caused by the bombing or because they ran out of fuel,” he added.

He said surgeons in Gaza are forced to operate on patients, including children in need of amputations, without proper anesthesia.

“And they work selflessly, without any security guarantee to help people in need there. Any moment, a bomb can drop on them,” he said.

Tzemos pointed out that Gaza’s health system “was already crippled owing to the blockage of 16 years by Israel.”

“It is now disintegrating, while the medical needs of the people there have been skyrocketing,” he said.

“We have tens of thousands of injured people, including some of whom are in very critical situation. So, the humanitarian situation in Gaza now is a nightmare.”

The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 8,525, including 3,542 children and 2,187 women, according to latest figures from the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave

‘Worried about what is going and also what is coming’

When asked about certain news reports and statements downplaying the crisis in Gaza, Tzemos said: “I don’t want to comment on the different representations of the reality by the different parties in this conflict. But what we can say for sure is that the situation is not at all normal. Throughout the last three weeks, we had at least 72 medical facilities attacked, according to the World Health Organization.”

According to him, the halted flow of humanitarian aid, which is what most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents relied on, is also significantly aggravating the situation.

“Even before the conflict erupted, before October 7, Gaza needed 300 to 500 truckloads of humanitarian aid because of the Israeli blockade of 16 years. Now the need is even bigger. Hence, the recent humanitarian aid of 35 truckloads allowed into Gaza is only a drop in the ocean,” Tzemos said.

The lack of access to clean water, which inevitably leads to serious hygiene problems, and accommodation of a huge number of people in such a small space will soon add to the problems, he warned.

“We are worried not only about what is going on, but also about what is coming,” Tzemos said.

The situation in Gaza is unique with so many people who have no chance of escaping the bombardment and are confined in such a small space, he said.

“This makes the situation there greatly hazardous compared to the other conflict zones, where the civilian population is allowed to flee from hostilities,” Tzemos noted, adding that Gaza has never before experienced hostilities at this level and intensity for such a prolonged time.

Against this backdrop, he said, an immediate cease-fire is essential to save lives.

Secondly, a humanitarian corridor should be formed to supply Gazans with medical goods, foodstuff, fuel and other essentials, as well as give access to medical professionals and humanitarian workers, he added.

“There is only so much we can do,” Tzemos said. ​​​​​​​