Doctors without Borders condemn the attack on the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Strip

"Doctors without Borders strongly condemns the attack that took place in Al-Shifa on 28th of July. MSF teams were working in this hospital, which is a point of reference for the entire Gaza Strip. This new bombing in health facilities, shelter for thousands of displaced people proves once again from the beginning of operations of Protective edge, that in Gaza there is no safe place for civilians seeking protection and that emergency assistance is extremely difficult.

On July 28th, while a member of the emergency team of Doctors without Borders was at Al-Shifa hospital, where surgical teams were working together with the staff of the hospital, the outpatient building, located within the complex of hospital, was bombed.

Though no deaths or injuries were reported, the essence remains that from the beginning of the military operation on July 8th, the Al-Shifa Hospital is the fourth hospital affected after the European General Hospital, Al-Aqsa and Beit Hanoun.

Targeting hospitals and their environment constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which can't be accepted" complains Tommaso Fabbri, head of mission of MSF in the Palestinian territories.

"Whatever the circumstances, especially in time of war, health facilities and medical personnel should be protected and respected. But in Gaza Strip today, hospitals aren't the shelters they should be".

An hour after the bombing of Al-Shifa, a second blow was felt in the Shati refugee camp. "Two thirds of the wounded I have seen arriving at Al-Shifa are children, "says Michele Beck, member of the medical staff of Doctors without Borders in Gaza Strip.

"1.8 million people, including more than 160,000 displaced people are crowded into a strip of urban land, congested, surrounded by sea and closed borders. Where can they find a way?" wonders Marie-Noëlle Rodrigue, Director of Mission of MSF.

"Israeli army ordered people to evacuate their homes and their neighborhoods. But where will they go? Gazans have no freedom of movement and can't find any shelter. They're just trapped".

Both movements and the work are extremely difficult and dangerous for Doctors without Borders, as for other medical and humanitarian organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. Local ambulance and paramedics of Red Crescent have been killed or injured. On July 20th, an air bomb exploded a few hundred meters from a car of Doctors without Borders, which apparently brought its distinctive.

On the same day, a rocket fell, but exploded about ten yards from the scene of the Doctors without Borders hospital in the Nasser.

Over the last three weeks, Médecins Sans Frontières managed to go only twice. In this hospital, located in the southern Gaza Strip, an area that has been hit strongly and has significant needs, surgical activities of the organization had to stop.

A further unacceptable condition that prevents groups of Doctors without Borders to treat wounded, mostly women and children.

"We have a surgical team ready to go to work at Nasser, but without absolute and reliable guarantees for the safety of our members on both sides of the conflict, we can't risk their movement" says with regret Nicolas Palarus, coordinator action of Doctors without Borders in Gaza Strip.

"Introducing medical, humanitarian personnel and supplies is extremely difficult. The passages from Erez to Egypt and from Kerem Shalom to Israel are partially open, but people avoid them for fear of bombing and collateral damage. The population is held hostage, almost nothing and no one can enter or exit the Gaza Strip" says Rodrigue. Due to the intensity of the bombing, injured patients have difficulty to reach health facilities.

Meanwhile, 50% of health facilities in Gaza have been closed. Only 4 of the 15 health centers in Gaza City, intended to treat approximately 800,000 people, still operate. "Beyond the emergency, basic medical needs such as maternal care, chronic disease management, access to drinking water or food aren't provided" says the anxious Palarus.

Note: Doctors without Borders in Gaza Strip

Responding to the emergency, MSF support with a full surgical team and medical emergency equipment the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. MSF has offered (from emergency stocks) in central pharmacy for the northern and southern Gaza Strip. The postoperative clinic works only with 10% to 30% of its capacity due to the frequency of the bombing, which prevents patients from accessing it. The regular activities of MSF at the Nasser Hospital were interrupted by the conflict. Doctors without Borders work in Gaza for more than 10 years providing medical care, surgical and psychological care, while they have responded to the urgent crises of 2009 and 2012.

Urging call of Doctors without Borders for aid to Gaza Strip
Doctors without Borders are working in Gaza for more than 10 years providing medical, surgical and psychological care. In the crisis of recent days, sleepless medical teams support the Al-Shifa hospital. With a full surgical team, medical equipment and emergency supplies, they try to save wounded people. Your support is vital. Your donation can keep people wooed mercilessly in life. Donate today to the special account of Doctors without Borders:

Through bank - Alpha Bank: IBAN GR87 0140 1040 1040 0278 6014 374

Through the internet http://support.msf.gr/gaza

Through phone landline: 901 11 153 153 (€ 3,69 / call, telephone Helpline: 801 11 16 500)

Information: 210 5 200 500 and www.msf.gr »