While it is already one month into the Gaza conflict escalation, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is mourning the loss of one of our team members in Gaza, Mohammed Al Ahel, who was killed along with several members of his family on 6 November. Mohammed had been a laboratory technician for MSF for over two years and was at his home in Al Shate Refugee Camp when the area was bombed and his building collapsed, reportedly killing dozens of people. In this tragic moment, we reiterate our call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
MSF continues to be gravely concerned for all its colleagues in Gaza, many of whom are still working in hospitals across the Strip to provide lifesaving care. It is clear that no place in Gaza is safe from brutal and indiscriminate bombing. More than 10,000 people, including over 4,000 children, have now been killed in Gaza already, according to the Ministry of Health. All over Gaza, helpless people keep losing family members, their homes and their lives, while world leaders fail to take meaningful action.
Our repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire have fallen on deaf ears, but we insist on it being the only way to prevent more senseless deaths across the Strip and allow adequate levels of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed and the healthcare system is facing total collapse as health facilities are struggling under an influx of patients and a shortage of medical supplies. Doctors on the ground have started to use vinegar to treat infections. At the end of last month, MSF sent 26 tonnes of medical supplies on a World Health Organisation plane to Egypt to support the emergency medical response in Gaza. The medical supplies can cover the needs for 800 surgical interventions and are destined for healthcare facilities in Gaza. Meanwhile, a new team of international staff, including a specialised medical team, has already been identified and is ready to enter Gaza as soon as the situation allows, to support the humanitarian and medical response.