Palestine: Israeli forces kill former MSF colleague Abdullah Hammad
Twelfth colleague lost in Gaza since October 2023.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) mourns and condemns the loss of former colleague Abdullah Hammad, who was killed by Israeli forces on July 3. Israeli forces deliberately targeted a group of people, including Abdullah, without warning as they waited for humanitarian assistance trucks.
At least 16 people were killed in total, according to medical teams at Nasser hospital. The group had been desperately hoping to collect flour from a humanitarian assistance truck in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, next to a desalination plant in the area, where a similar incident took place on June 17. Abdullah was a hygienist who worked in Al Mawasi clinic for a year and a half until June 30. MSF is appalled and deeply saddened by this atrocious tragedy.
At this time our thoughts are with Abdullah’s family, including his sister Zainab and his two brothers, Karam and Bahaa, who also work for MSF, along with all our MSF colleagues in Gaza with whom we mourn his death and stand during this extremely difficult time. In addition to the loss of Abdullah, MSF has already lost 11 colleagues since October 2023. We demand an end to this bloodshed.
“On July 3, Israeli forces committed yet another massacre, targeting a group of people hopelessly trying to collect bags of flour off an aid truck in southern Gaza,” says Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza. “This appalling tragedy killed at least 16 people, including former MSF colleague Abdullah Hammad. The actual number of people killed is likely to be much higher as Israeli forces refused to allow dead bodies to be retrieved from the site. The Israeli forces then ordered people who were trying to collect flour to leave immediately.”
“The level of desperation for food inside Gaza is now beyond comprehension. Humanitarian agencies’ ability to respond to the gaping needs is restricted to the bare minimum. Israeli authorities are limiting movements and supplies and have devised a new militarized way to distribute food that is degrading and deadly. The systemic and deliberate starvation of Palestinians for over 100 days is pushing people in Gaza to breaking point. This carnage must stop now.”
