Update from Simon Tyler, Doctors of the World -
The targeting of a UN school used as a shelter in Nuseirat (Middle) on Sunday, as well as the massacres of Al Mawasi (South) in the so-called "safe zone" and Al Shati in Gaza City on 13 July, are the latest indefensible attacks against civilians.
Our supplies, including prenatal and postnatal care for up to 5,000 women and newborns, never made it to health centers due to the closure of the Rafah crossing. Some drugs are now completely banned from entering Gaza. We're facing severe shortages of medicine, including anesthetics, painkillers, and medications for chronic diseases like type 1 diabetes. Antibiotics, especially those safe for pregnant and lactating women, are also scarce.
In May, a medical point where we provided aid within an UNRWA school was destroyed during a military offensive in Jabalya, the refugee camp north of Gaza City. This was one of six schools besieged, set on fire and destroyed by Israeli forces. This attack halted critical health services for multiple days before we were able to resume delivering care in a new location.
Our medical workers continue to provide aid in unimaginable circumstances. Since October, our teams have been delivering medical care right across Gaza and the West Bank. We move our first-aid, primary and mental health care operations alongside the population, as conditions change and become unsafe.
We have provided more than 16,700 general consultations and more than 2,100 counselling sessions. We have also delivered almost 700 hygiene kits to patients suffering with Hepatitis A, to avoid the risk of transmission.
After nine months of conflict, it’s crucial for the UK and other states of power to acknowledge their failure to ensure respect for international humanitarian law in Gaza. There must be genuine pressure on all parties to reach an immediate and lasting ceasefire. This is the only way to provide humanitarian assistance and save lives.