Global Physicians Aren't Able to Prevent Genocide in Gaza, Yet International Leaders Hold the Power to Act
In the heart of the Middle East, the city of Gaza is currently enduring a devastating military offensive by Israel, involving a ground invasion and air strikes targeting Hamas fighters, tunnels, and booby-trapped buildings. The declared goal is to defeat Hamas and secure the release of Israeli hostages, but the operation has resulted in extensive destruction, significant civilian casualties, and the displacement of thousands of residents.
The human toll in Gaza is staggering. According to the latest Ministry of Health figures, over 64,000 people have been killed, including 20,000 children. More than 1,500 health workers have lost their lives, and medical facilities and health workers are under constant attack. The Israeli military has targeted hospitals, raided medical facilities, and endangered the lives of staff and patients.
Deliberate shortages of water are fuelling disease, with MSF treating 4,000 people for watery diarrhoea last month, potentially deadly for malnourished children. Those who attempt to flee will reach overcrowded areas in central and southern Gaza where they will find neither safety nor the basics they need to exist. Many residents, including the elderly, critically ill, heavily pregnant, and wounded, are unable to evacuate due to the intensifying bombardments.
The Israeli authorities have imposed a total siege on Gaza, with severe restrictions on fuel, water, food, and medical supplies. Borders must be opened to allow the evacuation of people who want to leave Gaza, and patients in urgent need of specialist care. The evacuation orders and mass, forced displacement of people in Gaza must stop.
Governments around the world are complicit in the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank through political, military, or material support to Israel, or through silence. Countries that have expressed outrage and solidarity for Palestinians can and must do more to increase the political pressure on others to act. This includes halting transfers of arms used to kill and injure people and destroy civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
The attacks by Hamas in October 2023 and the release of remaining hostages must be allowed. Settler and state violence in the occupied West Bank is intensifying, with policies designed to change the demographic make-up of the West Bank. Governments must actively facilitate lifesaving pathways and a right of return when conditions are truly safe to do so.
States must urgently secure a ceasefire, lift the siege, and ensure that Israeli authorities allow immediate and unhindered delivery of large-scale, independent humanitarian aid. Each day, our colleagues working in Gaza face the devastating reality that they cannot stop a genocide, but world leaders can, if they choose to act. Twelve MSF colleagues have been killed, and one MSF orthopedic surgeon, Dr Mohammed Obeid, remains detained by Israel since October 2024.
The world watches as the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. It is time for action. It is time for a ceasefire. It is time for humanitarian aid. It is time for justice.
