Doctors Without Borders Accuses Israel of Blocking Gaza Aid

GAZA: A senior official from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Israel of using humanitarian aid as a weapon of war against Palestinians in Gaza.

Caroline Willemen, MSF project coordinator in Gaza, said on Sunday that aid to the Gaza Strip should not be linked to political conditions. She noted that while Israeli attacks have decreased since the ceasefire, daily shelling and occasional assaults continue, including a major strike on October 19.

Willemen said humanitarian conditions remain dire, with severe shortages of water, shelter, and food. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are still living in tents as winter approaches. MSF teams continue to report high levels of malnutrition, particularly among children under five and pregnant women.

“People in Gaza have lived under the threat of extermination for two years,” she said, stressing the urgent need for basic aid, blankets, and mattresses. “Rebuilding Gaza will take years, but we haven’t reached even the minimum humanitarian standards yet.”

Medical sources at al-Awda Hospital reported that one Palestinian was killed and four others injured in an Israeli drone strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp last night. The Israeli army claimed it targeted a member of the Islamic Jihad group.

The current ceasefire deal includes a partial Israeli withdrawal, limited aid increases, and prisoner exchanges. Under the agreement, Hamas released all surviving captives and the remains of 12 of 28 dead Israeli captives. In return, Israel freed 2,000 Palestinian detainees and handed over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli one returned.

Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 68,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, leaving the territory in ruins. Experts warn the real death toll could be far higher once missing persons and those buried under rubble are counted.