Rafah (TIP): A new report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on December 19 noted that “repeated Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians over the last 14 months, the dismantling of the health care system and other essential infrastructure, the suffocating siege, and the systematic denial of humanitarian assistance are destroying the conditions of life in Gaza, Palestine.” “People in Gaza are struggling to survive apocalyptic conditions, but nowhere is safe, no one is spared, and there is no exit from this shattered enclave,” said Christopher Lockyear, MSF secretary general, who visited Gaza earlier this year.
The MSF reiterated its call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
The report, “Gaza: Life in a death trap,”urgently called on all parties, once again, for an immediate ceasefire to save lives and enable the flow of humanitarian aid. Israel must stop its targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, and its allies must act without delay to protect the lives of Palestinians and uphold the rules of war.
“The total destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza must stop,” MSF said.
It also called for immediate and safe access to northern Gaza, to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to hospitals.
“While MSF continues to provide lifesaving care in central and southern Gaza, we call on Israel to end its siege on the territory and open vital land borders, including the Rafah crossing, to enable a massive scale-up of humanitarian and medical aid,” the report noted.
The Human Rights Watch in a 179-page report on Thursday revealed that Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinians in Gaza of access to safe water for drinking and sanitation needed for basic human survival.
“Water is essential for human life, yet for over a year the Israeli government has deliberately denied Palestinians in Gaza the bare minimum they need to survive,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) as the organisation described this as “nothing short of crime against humanity of extermination, and an act of genocide, ” HRW noted. (AP)