Image Source: Doctors Without Borders
World – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been forced to suspend lifesaving medical activities in Gaza City as the Israeli military offensive escalates.
The organisation explained that relentless airstrikes and advancing tanks have created an environment where operating healthcare facilities has become impossible.
Staff and patients alike are at risk, with security conditions deteriorating daily. The decision underlines the devastating humanitarian consequences of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
MSF stressed that while needs are at their highest, the threat to personnel and civilians has reached an unacceptable level, forcing them to make the difficult call to halt operations.
Jacob Granger, MSF Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, said the group was effectively cornered.
“We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities, as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces. This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most vulnerable people – infants in neo-natal care, those with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses – unable to move and in grave danger.”
The suspension comes as many Palestinians face impossible decisions. Large numbers have already fled south under evacuation orders. Still, hundreds of thousands remain trapped, either unwilling or unable to leave.
Those who attempt to move must abandon their homes and possessions for southern areas where humanitarian conditions are themselves collapsing. The pressure on hospitals is extreme, with facilities struggling to cope.
Scale of Medical Needs
Despite Israel’s worsening offensive, MSF’s clinics in Gaza City continued to serve large numbers of Palestinians until the suspension. The organisation said the demand showed just how dire the situation had become.
Last week alone, MSF teams conducted over 3,600 consultations and treated more than 1,600 cases of malnutrition. They also responded to trauma injuries, burns, and pregnancy complications.
MSF emphasised that these figures reveal the scale of medical needs, with many patients requiring ongoing care who can no longer access it.
Humanitarian Access Blocked
Conditions on the ground remain harsh and unforgiving. Access to food, water, and shelter is increasingly limited, with Palestinian families bombed repeatedly and deprived of the essentials needed for survival.
“People in Gaza City are exhausted and are being deliberately deprived of the essentials needed to survive,” MSF said, calling on Israeli authorities to guarantee safe humanitarian access.
The group added that acceptable conditions for delivering aid are “clearly not in place today.”
MSF confirmed that it will continue to support hospitals and health centres in southern and central Gaza, including facilities in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.
However, the suspension in Gaza City highlights the grave threat faced by civilians and the urgent need for a halt to the violence, genocide and starvation being carried out against Palestinians in Gaza.
