Gaza: Thousands forced to flee as Israeli military offensive intensifies and aid is blocked in Rafah

“Where are pregnant women, children, people with chronic diseases going to seek care and continue treatment in a decimated place like Gaza? Not forgetting the impact on mental health; before the closure we offered over 130 individual mental health consultations a week, and this figure has only increased over the past few weeks,” says Milanesio. 

MSF is also handing over its activities at Emirati Hospital to the Ministry of Health (May 8) and relocating staff to Nasser Hospital to continue to support maternity services in a safer area. 

“This takes the number of healthcare facilities that we’ve been forced to leave in Gaza to 11, in the space of just seven months, which goes to show the brutality and lawlessness of this war,” says Milanesio. 

Since the beginning of this war, MSF has seen a pattern of systematic attacks against medical facilities and civilian infrastructure. The health system in Gaza is being dismantled just as the needs are exploding, with devastating consequences for Palestinian people. 

We reiterate our call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire to stop further death and destruction in Gaza and allow for lifesaving assistance to flow into the enclave.