MSF condemns Israeli attack on MSF water distribution site in Gaza City

This attack cannot be dismissed as an error. It was a deliberate attempt to sabotage water distribution to civilians who cannot leave the area, particularly the poorest, the sick, and the most vulnerable living in tents or in the rubble of what used to be their homes.

Until 12 September, MSF was supporting the emergency room of a primary healthcare centre in Sheikh Radwan. It was the only functional remaining health structure and emergency capacity in that area of the city, and was receiving an average of 1,100 emergency patients per week. Since the intensification of military operations in the area, the Ministry of Health took the decision to try to relocate the clinic to another area. No suitable location has been found, so the population remaining in the neighbourhood no longer has access to any of the medical services.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are moving south, but for most people trapped in Gaza City, leaving is not a viable option. They do not have the means to move, they are sick or exhausted, or they know that there is nothing in the south for them; neither the size nor scale of services provided is fit to support those already there, let alone new arrivals.

Forcing people to leave by targeting remaining shelters and infrastructure, while rendering the provision of humanitarian assistance more and more difficult is not only brutal, but also illegal.

We call on Israeli authorities to immediately open safe access for the delivery of humanitarian aid, including food and water, and to cease its attacks on humanitarian access and on civilians. Humanitarian access to civilians must be permitted and protected.

Please also find a video of Gaza clinic staff talking about their daily lives amid the ongoing Israeli offensive here: https://media.msf.org/asset-management/24BHRGQGK3BC?WS=AssetManagement