"Slaughter Masquerading as Humanitarian Aid": Doctors Without Borders Condemns Israeli-US Food Distribution Scheme in Gaza

The Israeli-US food distribution scheme in Gaza has been condemned by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres - MSF) as "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid." The scheme, launched one month ago, forces Palestinians to choose between starvation or risking their lives for minimal supplies. Over 500 people have been killed and nearly 4,000 wounded while seeking food, with the MSF stating that the distribution system is discriminatory and dangerous, particularly for women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Key Takeaways:

• The Israeli-US food distribution scheme in Gaza is a "death trap" where Palestinians are forced to risk their lives to obtain minimal supplies, resulting in over 500 deaths and nearly 4,000 injuries.
• The distribution system is discriminatory and dangerous, particularly for women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, who are hindered from accessing aid.
• Every day, MSF teams treat patients who have been wounded or killed while trying to access food, with gunshot injuries increasing by 190% in one week at a Deir Al-Balah field hospital.
• Gaza's hospitals are barely functioning, with minimal supplies of pain relief, anaesthetics, and blood, and are unable to manage the high volume of trauma patients arriving daily.
• The few remaining functioning hospitals have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks, leading to patients seeking treatment at basic healthcare clinics or field hospitals.
• MSF emphasized that aid must not be militarized and should be delivered at scale, consistent with humanitarian principles, to enable the facilitation of aid to those who need it most, with dignity.

Statistics:

• Over 500 people have been killed while seeking food in the Gaza Strip.
• Nearly 4,000 people have been wounded while seeking food in Gaza.
• Gunshot injuries increased by 190% in one week (8 June) at a Deir Al-Balah field hospital compared to the previous week.
• Gaza's hospitals are operating with minimal supplies of pain relief, anaesthetics, and blood.
• Ten or more patients with violent injuries arrive each day at the MSF clinic in Al-Mawasi.
• MSF has received reports of people wounded at aid distribution sites dying from their injuries before they can receive treatment.

Sources:

• A statement by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres - MSF)
• An interview with MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa
• A firsthand account shared by MSF
• Reports from MSF medical teams in Gaza
• MSF clinic in Al-Mawasi
• MSF Deir Al-Balah field hospital