Gaza crisis

Our firsthand observations of the medical and humanitarian catastrophe inflicted on the Strip are 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 the full blockade of aid, forced displacement, and mass killings, severe physical and mental health injuries and impossible conditions of life for Palestinians under siege and bombardment—are undeniable.

MSF teams are having to restrict the criteria for patient admission to those with the highest urgency, as supplies are running out and the number of patients is increasing. Millions of people have been displaced without basic needs, and people with chronic and severe illnesses lack access to care, leading to severe and sometimes fatal complications.

In Nasser hospital, Khan Younis, MSF teams are witnessing an increase in patients with burns, as well as patients who have been significantly delayed having the surgical intervention they desperately need. In Gaza city clinic, MSF teams are overwhelmed with the high number of patients – almost 400 a day. As supplies are running out, our teams are unable to keep up with the high needs. The mental health needs are also skyrocketing, and MSF teams are seeing people with severe anxiety and depression.

Not a single hospital is currently fully functional in Gaza, and only 21 out of 36 hospitals are partially functioning according to the World Health Organization. The few remaining facilities cannot meet the vast medical needs, especially for critical cases requiring burn care and reconstructive surgery.

This includes outbreaks of infectious diseases, skin conditions, and other conditions linked to dire conditions. From January to February 2025, MSF teams conducted over 82,000 general healthcare consultations – almost a fifth of those related to conditions linked to lack of water and hygiene, including scalp infections and skin conditions such as scabies.

On top of the casualty toll caused by the bombardments and fighting, there are many ‘silent killings’ – people who have succumbed to entirely preventable conditions or had their healthcare disrupted due to the conflict: dialysis patients who can’t receive treatment, noncommunicable diseases patients left untreated, pregnant women with complications who can’t find treatment.

These include airstrikes damaging hospitals, tanks being fired at agreed deconflicted shelters, ground offensives into medical centres and convoys fired upon. These incidents show the blatant disregard of medical humanitarian action and failure of deconfliction measures.

Since the war began, over 1,400 health workers in Gaza have been killed, according to the UN. At least 418 humanitarian workers, the vast majority Palestinian, have been killed. Eleven MSF colleagues have been killed since the start of the war. We condemn these killings in the strongest possible terms.

Throughout the war, MSF has witnessed patients dying on hospital floors, as facilities have been unable to cope with the overwhelming number of patients or haven´t had the supplies needed to provide care. Israeli authorities have on numerous occasions denied and delayed entry for items like oxygen concentrators which are essential for anesthesia. The same for surgical equipment and generators, without which it is almost impossible to provide surgical care – resulting in more lives lost.

Ambulances are blockaded and searched. Essential infrastructure including electricity and water supplies are destroyed, impacting hospitals’ ability to function. Medical organizations and facilities are unable to operate in this insecure environment.

One of the central pillars of our identity is to bear witness and call attention to the problems driving emergency needs in the places where we provide humanitarian assistance. 

We have a long history of speaking out and advocacy when governments or other actors implement policies that threaten the health and safety of our patients or our staff, for example in conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan. 

International humanitarian law and the rules of war require militaries to distinguish between civilians and combatants and prohibit attacks that cause disproportionate harm to civilians and civilian objects. The way Israel is prosecuting this war is causing massive death and suffering among Palestinian civilians and is inconsistent with these norms and laws. 

Medical facilities and their surrounding areas have repeatedly been attacked or subjected to evacuation orders by Israeli forces, making access to healthcare extremely dangerous for patients and putting the lives of medical staff at risk. This compels us to speak out and demand an immediate ceasefire. 

As humanitarians, we grieve for all civilian lives lost, and the vast majority of the victims of this conflict are civilians, including many elderly people, women and children. Violence against civilians is never justified, and all civilians deserve protection. 

MSF’s reporting is based on what our patients and staff tell us they are seeing on the ground in Gaza, where the Israeli military campaign and siege have had devastating consequences. The healthcare system has collapsed, and hospitals have run out of drugs, medical supplies, and fuel for generators. People have limited access to food, water, shelter, and electricity. And the death toll continues to rise. 

We are calling for a sustained ceasefire because widespread and indiscriminate attacks on civilians—including attacks on healthcare—have made it impossible to deliver the humanitarian assistance needed in Gaza. 

MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance to people based solely on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. As an organization, we focus on filling the greatest gaps in healthcare. 

We have no agenda except to go where we are needed and treat patients and we are struggling to do so right now in Gaza due to the lack of drugs, medical supplies and fuel for generators.

MSF takes any allegation of anti-Semitism extremely seriously. At any given time, MSF has approximately 68,000 people working in our projects and headquarters. Any form of bigotry or discrimination by MSF staff is unacceptable. 

We do not believe that criticism of Israeli government policies is equivalent to anti-Semitism. 

MSF speaks out when governments or actors implement policies that are harmful to the health and safety of our patients or our staff. The way Israel is prosecuting this war is causing massive death and suffering among Palestinian civilians and putting our staff at risk. This is inconsistent with the norms and laws of war. 

No state is above criticism. 

As humanitarians, we grieve for all civilian lives lost, and the vast majority of the victims of this conflict are civilians, including many elderly people, women, and children. Violence against civilians is never justified, and all civilians deserve protection.

MSF works with the Ministry of Health in Gaza. We coordinate our work through them. When it comes to ensuring the safety of our teams in Gaza, we maintain contact with the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, just as we maintain contact with the Israeli authorities. MSF works in more than 70 countries around the world. Wherever armed conflict is present, we maintain contact with all actors to safeguard our teams and activities.