MSF accuses 'Israel' of ethnic cleansing, calls for ceasefire in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
19 Dec 2024 20:54
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Doctors Without Borders has issued a report accusing the Israeli occupation of committing the crime of ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.

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A Palestinian child wounded during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip receives treatment at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP)

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused "Israel" of ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, according to a report released on Thursday detailing the 14-month war.

The report highlights 41 incidents involving attacks on MSF staff, including airstrikes on medical facilities and direct gunfire targeting humanitarian convoys. The organization also stated that it had been compelled to evacuate hospitals and health centers 17 times due to the escalating violence.

"We are seeing clear signs of ethnic cleansing as Palestinians are forcibly displaced, trapped, and bombed," Christopher Lockyear, the organization's secretary general, said.

The report, titled "Gaza: Life in a Death Trap", highlights the suppression of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, which saw a drastic decrease in daily deliveries since the onset of the war (34 trucks authorized in October 2024 compared to the pre-war 500), due to the siege imposed by Israeli occupation forces.

The organization further stressed the "extremely violent" offensive on the northern district of the blockaded strip, particularly in Jabalia.

In terms of medical exposure, MSF revealed that it completed over 27,500 consultations and 7,500 surgical operations in one year, particularly amid the rapid spread of disease that has struck the massively displaced population of Gaza, and the terrible hygienic conditions they have to endure.

In this context, MSF criticized the Israeli occupation's failure to authorize medical evacuations for impacted Palestinians, noting that only 1.6% of requests made between May and September 2024 had been approved.

"What our medical teams have witnessed on the ground throughout this conflict is consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organizations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza," Lockyear stated.

The report called for an immediate ceasefire and for the siege to be lifted to ensure and expedite the flow of humanitarian aid into the Strip, further urging "states, particularly Israel's closest allies, to end their unconditional support for Israel and fulfill their obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza."

HRW accuses 'Israel' of 'acts of genocide' over Gaza water access

Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Thursday "Israel" of committing "acts of genocide" in the Gaza Strip by targeting water infrastructure and cutting off supplies to civilians, urging the international community to impose targeted sanctions on the occupation regime.

In a newly released report focusing on water access, the New York-based organization outlined what it described as systematic actions by Israeli authorities aimed at depriving the people of Gaza of essential water resources.

These measures, according to HRW, have "likely caused thousands of deaths... and will likely continue to cause deaths."

"Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately obstructed Palestinians' access to the adequate amount of water required for survival in the Gaza Strip," the report stated.

The HRW report pointed to the deliberate destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, including solar panels powering treatment plants, reservoirs, and warehouses, along with blocking fuel needed for generators.

Additionally, "Israel" cut electricity supplies, attacked repair workers, and obstructed the import of essential materials for repairs, the report indicated.

"Israeli authorities intentionally inflicted on the Palestinian population in Gaza 'conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,'" the report concluded, amounting to the war crime of "extermination" and to "acts of genocide." However, HRW stopped short of declaring outright genocide.