Doctors Can’t Stop Genocide, World Leaders Can
Gaza is not just a humanitarian catastrophe - it is the systematic destruction of a people. MSF is clear: Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health (MoH), more than 64,000 people have been killed, including 20,000 children. The toll is likely far higher, with many more thought to be trapped under the rubble.
There is no safe place in Gaza. Even though health facilities have a protected status, hospitals have been bombed and medical facilities have been raided, endangering the lives of staff and patients. Today, no hospital in Gaza is fully functional. Those that remain partially operational are overwhelmed and severely lacking in lifesaving supplies.
Twelve of our colleagues have been killed and MSF orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mohammed Obeid, remains detained by Israel since October 2024. In total, more than 1,500 health workers have been killed. A huge loss to their families, and Gaza’s health system.
Israeli authorities are choking Gaza by imposing a total siege that deliberately cuts people off from fuel, food, water and medical supplies. Famine has already been confirmed in Gaza Governorate, and people are dying of starvation. The little food aid that the Israeli authorities allow has been cruelly weaponised, An Israeli-run, US-funded operation, called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is responsible for killing 1,400 people and injuring 4,000 more.
The lack of clean water is driving further suffering and disease. Last month, our teams treated 4000 cases of watery diarrohea, potentially fatal for children already weakened by malnutrition. MSF is regularly blocked by Israeli authorities from bringing in desalination equipment and other supplies that could increase access to clean water.
Through their inaction, silence, or by directly support the Israeli authorities, governments around the world are complicit in this genocide. They have both a moral and legal obligation to respond, using every political, diplomatic, and economic tool available to stop the atrocities.
We call on states, including Luxembourg, to urgently use their influence to:
Stop the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Stop ethnic cleansing and forced displacement.
Secure an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
Lift the siege and allow immediate, unhindered delivery of large-scale, independent humanitarian aid.
Stop the attacks on medical facilities and health workers.
Dismantle the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Allow medical evacuations for those in need of urgent care.
Stop arms transfers that kill and maim our patients.
Our 1,118 colleagues working in Gaza cannot stop this genocide. But world leaders can — if they choose to act.