MSF updates from Al Aqsa hospital and northern Gaza

On 14 October, an Israeli airstrike targeted an area housing displaced people inside the MSF-supported Al Aqsa hospital compound in Deir Al Balah, resulting in 65 wounded and 5 dead. The hospital compound has been hit seven times since March 2024; three of them in the last month.

“It’s a scene of devastation. Tents caught on fire while people were sleeping. The hospital treated 40 patients, including 10 children and 8 women; many of them with severe burns. 25 more injured patients had to be referred due to the lack of capacity.” Eliza Sabatini, MSF nurse.

A few hours before the airstrike on the hospital compound, another strike had hit a school used as a shelter, in Nuseirat camp, north of Deir Al Balah. Dozens of wounded people were brought to Al Aqsa, already overwhelming the hospital and medical staff.

“Successive mass casualty incidents like these would be very difficult for any well-equipped hospital. In Gaza, where we continue to face heavy restrictions on medical supplies, it is simply impossible to provide adequate care to the patients,” says Sabatini.

Repeated attacks on medical facilities in Gaza must end. Health structures and medical staff must be protected at all times, and warring parties must respect hospital grounds. People in Gaza are trapped under relentless bombings. A ceasefire is needed now to stop this bloodshed.