2023-12-07 11:48:45
The international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns of the diseases that will add to the victims in the Gaza Strip. He accuses Israel of deliberately targeting a convoy and calls for more medical evacuations.
“We can’t even think regarding what will happen next” in Gaza, Christos Christou, returning from the region, told the press in Geneva on Thursday. “The situation is not sustainable and is unbearable.”
In addition to the injured, infectious diseases are beginning to be observed and some women who give birth by cesarean section have to leave hospitals following a few hours to free up beds. Not to mention daily care and vaccination breaks.
“This must stop,” says Mr. Christou. “We must prepare for everything,” he adds, sharing the concerns of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on public order problems.
Faced with the bombings, MSF, which brings together several hundred “tired” and “devastated” collaborators in Gaza, including 15 internationals, must change its arrangements every day in the two hospitals in which it works and which are operational in the Gaza Strip.
Recent call to Switzerland
With the UN, “we are doing our best to rebuild those that are not functional,” insists the international president. “It’s not easy,” he adds. Equipment is lacking, as is access to water and electricity.
He is in favor of field hospitals that several countries are proposing to establish. But these should only complement the efforts in existing health centers, according to him.
In an open letter Monday to the UN Security Council and governments, including Switzerland, MSF calls for an immediate ceasefire. She has not yet received a response but Mr. Christou says he is “a little optimistic” regarding the change in position of certain States.
The organization lost three collaborators in the bombings. In particular one of them in a deliberately targeted convoy, according to the organization which wants independent investigations. “Our emblems are clearly visible and we communicate our contact details,” said the president.
Alert on the West Bank
He also asks influential states to work to promote medical evacuations. MSF might care for around fifty patients in need of urgent care from its center in Amman.
Mr. Christou was unable to go to the Gaza Strip, with the resumption of hostilities. “I’ll keep trying,” he said. On the other hand, he witnessed incursions by the Israeli army into the Jenin refugee camp, in the West Bank.
Ambulances are prevented from leaving the camp hospital for 12 to 13 hours and the injured cannot reach this site. “There is nothing worse for a doctor than not being able to reach his patients,” adds Mr. Christou.
Around 250 Palestinians have been killed since October in this territory. The MSF president notes that the type of injuries are changing, with civilians being targeted in the stomach, chest and head, compared to other members previously. He affirmed that his organization is the only one to have deployed international personnel in this territory. And he calls on the UN to do the same.
For the moment, the situation has not affected MSF’s efforts in other countries. But the president fears an effect given the attention on this conflict by governments.
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