Israel must immediately halt plans for Rafah ground invasion

Israeli forces sent tanks into Rafah and say they have seized control of the border. Israeli authorities have shut down both the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings, effectively cutting off lifesaving aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations. International law requires that parties to conflict allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance for civilians in need. The US must ensure that its military assistance does not contribute to international humanitarian law violations in Gaza, said Doctors Without Borders .

Over the course of seven months of war, airstrikes, artillery fire, tanks, snipers, and soldiers have pushed Palestinian civilians further and further down the Gaza Strip. Nearly 1.5 million Palestinians now live in this southernmost tip of Gaza—a tiny area they were previously told would be a refuge. People are now being told to evacuate north of Rafah, but there is insufficient shelter and humanitarian assistance capacity there and no measures have been taken to ensure that people can safely evacuate.

Given the escalation, Doctors Without Borders has suspended its activities at Al-Shaboura Clinic until further notice. Though Doctors Without Borders is still running activities at Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital at this stage—where teams have supported the provision of post-operative care—patients have begun to be discharged. Doctors Without Borders will be handing over its activities at Emirati Hospital to the Ministry of Health on May 8 and will relocate its staff to Nasser Hospital to continue to support maternity care in a safer area. This movement was planned before the recent evacuation orders. Additionally, Doctors Without Borders is considering establishing two new field hospitals in Deir Al-Balah in the Middle Area of Gaza.

"People here have been displaced time and again by the war and are living in tents and makeshift shelters that can barely withstand the elements, let alone bombs and airstrikes. Rafah is the major hub of health care services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip—and a critical area for the delivery of humanitarian assistance given the crossing. Attacking this area means cutting off the lifelines of people who’ve lost everything. Our humanitarian staff and patients are terrified.

Earlier this week, medical staff and patients had to be evacuated from Al-Najjar Hospital, while the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) is no longer accessible. Though we are still running activities at Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital at this stage, where we supported the provision of post-operative care, our teams have begun to discharge patients who met the necessary criteria. We are also suspending our activities at Al-Shaboura Clinic until further notice. 

“For seven months, we have witnessed the indiscriminate killing of civilians, attacks on aid workers—including our own staff—the destruction of medical facilities, and the obstruction of lifesaving assistance. We cannot imagine what a further escalation of this conflict would mean for people who have already suffered so much in this war without rules.

"This offensive is going to further decimate the health system, which is barely functioning. As we’ve seen in the north, some hospitals will no longer be accessible and are at high risk of being hit or destroyed. We have begun to discharge patients at Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital—those who can walk—as we also prepare for a possible evacuation. The few field hospitals or alternative structures being built will not be able to cope with an influx of wounded patients on top of regular medical needs such as deliveries and chronic diseases.

"As we have stated repeatedly throughout this conflict: hospitals full of patients must be considered safe places and should not be evacuated in the first place. It is extremely difficult and dangerous to evacuate hospitals and care for the most vulnerable.”

We reiterate our call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire to stop further death and destruction in Gaza and allow for lifesaving assistance to flow into the enclave.