Palestine: Carnage continues at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites
Jose Mas, MSF emergency program manager, describes the situation in Gaza as of June 12
Our teams in Gaza are witnessing another chaotic day as the carnage at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites continues unabated. Internet connection is cut off at mass scale after an attack hit communications lines and Israeli forces issued new displacement orders in the blocks that include Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
On June 11, MSF-supported Al Mawasi primary healthcare clinic received 32 casualties, including three dead on arrival. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital received 160 casualties, including five dead on arrival and three with severe wounds who were declared dead shortly after. On June 12, the ICRC hospital saw 125 people wounded with three declared dead upon arrival. Most of those killed and wounded are Palestinians that were seeking urgent assistance at GHF distribution sites.
Gaza’s fragile social order is being pushed to the brink of collapse by several factors: the delivery of supplies by private logistics and security firms, as well as local armed actors under the guise of aid; the disregard of humanitarian principles; the imposition of access restrictions on humanitarian agencies – including movements and supplies; and constantly displacing communities. This comes against the backdrop of 20 months of intense daily bombardment.
The partial loss of communication has dealt another severe blow to the already decimated humanitarian and medical response, putting the lives of patients and staff at imminent risk. We have barely heard from our teams in Gaza for over 12 hours. The lack of internet and limited phone connections makes it even harder for humanitarian and medical teams to coordinate movements of staff and supplies, call ambulances and manage our teams’ security in one of the world’s deadliest war zones.
Moreover, the possibility of Nasser hospital being subjected to bombardment or damaged by attacks in the area or hardly being accessible anymore is harrowing. Nasser hospital has wards that cannot be moved without putting patients’ lives at grave danger, as their specialist equipment cannot be found anywhere else in southern Gaza, including incubators for the 17 babies currently in intensive care. The hospital is already functioning over capacity, as are other hospitals in Gaza.”
