Gaza: Life in a death trap
Over the past 14 months of all-out war, the Israeli military has committed widespread and indiscriminate attacks killing tens of thousands of civilians. These attacks have caused devastating levels of physical and mental harm across society, and inflicted conditions of life that are destroying the Palestinian people in Gaza.
People in Gaza are struggling to survive apocalyptic conditions, but nowhere is safe, no one is spared, and there is no exit from this shattered enclave.Christopher Lockyear, secretary general
Doctors Without Borders teams have been witnessing and denouncing for months in Gaza: the indiscriminate bombing and killing of civilians, the dismantling of a healthcare system through the systematic targeting of health facilities and the decimation of medical personnel, the recurrent obstruction of aid and humanitarian assistance, the obstacles to the evacuation of the wounded, the destruction of civilian and residential infrastructure and repeated forcible displacement, the wilful severe deprivation of water and food and the unbearable living conditions into which people are pushed and the absolute lack of a safe space. All components of society have been destroyed.
Our staff themselves have also endured attacks and violent incidents, including airstrikes, shelling and violent incursions in health facilities, direct fire on its shelters and convoys and arbitrary detention by Israeli forces. Eight of our colleagues and many of their family members have tragically lost their lives.
The recent military offensive in the north is a stark illustration of the brutal war the Israeli forces are waging on Gaza, and we are seeing clear signs of ethnic cleansing as Palestinians are forcibly displaced, trapped, and bombed. What our medical teams have witnessed on the ground throughout this conflict is consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organizations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza. While we don't have legal authority to establish intentionality, the signs of ethnic cleansing and the ongoing devastation—including mass killings, severe physical and mental health injuries, forced displacement, and impossible conditions of life for Palestinians under siege and bombardment—are undeniable.Christopher Lockyear, secretary general
This report complies the critical issues our teams have been witnessing and bringing to light in Gaza.
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