Doctors Without Borders in Gaza
Photo Credits: Doctors Without Borders
By: Joanna Sawtari / Arab America Contributing Writer
Seeking Humanity
On October 7th, Hamas carried out an attack against Israel’s occupation, drawing immediate international attention. As communities all over the world grieve, civilians in the Gaza Strip are left to grapple with the aftermath. In Gaza, hospitals, churches and even schools are getting bombed — an evident violation of international law. Several humanitarian aid sectors in Gaza, including Doctors Without Borders, have become victims of Israel’s active genocide. In this tense time period, it is crucial to amplify Palestinian voices and articulate that this is not a conflict, but a humanitarian cause.
Healthcare Providers Aren’t a Threat
Doctors Without Borders have been working in Gaza for over 20 years, providing healthcare services to patients who live under the Israeli occupation. Their ability to treat patients has been hindered by the continued bombing of hospitals, and according to Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, a MSF doctor in Gaza, “a ceiling fell on the operating room table. [This conflict] is a massacre.”
Ambulance drivers and assistants are not exceptions to Israel’s rampant violence. Several truck drivers have been shot while clearly wearing medical attire, while hundreds of other medical care providers succumbed to the bombs.
An Unheard Voice
Gaza Amid Genocide / Photo Credits: Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Border have continued providing regular updates about their working conditions in Gaza, and how most hospitals use phone lights and lack painkillers in operations, making them unsanitary and utterly painful.
The Israeli government has continued its “revenge plan” against Hamas while Gazan civilians still lack food, sufficient clean water and electricity. It is now crucial to be selective when it comes to learning about the Gaza situation, and this can be done by looking at first-hand accounts, humanitarian aid platforms or sites that share the unedited, candid information within Gaza. Doctors Without Borders is a great place to start, as one fact that everyone can agree on is that healthcare workers are not a threat – they should not be victims of a genocide.
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