MSF sounds alarm as airstrikes, quadcopter fire devastate Gaza
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MSF and UNICEF warn of rising civilian casualties in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes and quadcopter fire continue to kill and injure Palestinians, including children.
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Palestinian children look at the camera as they play in a makeshift camp for displaced people in Zawayda, in the central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, November 18, 2025 (AP)
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has condemned the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip as its medical teams continue treating critically injured Palestinians, including women and children, following airstrikes and quadcopter fire on November 19 that left dozens dead and many more wounded.
Since Wednesday, MSF teams have treated multiple patients with open fractures, gunshot wounds, and other severe injuries, many of them sustained to the limbs and head.
“At around 11am we heard gunfire from quadcopters. Shortly after, we received two casualties,” said Zaher, an MSF nurse working at a mobile clinic in Gaza City. “The first casualty was a woman with a leg injury. A little later, a nine-year-old girl arrived with an injury on her face caused by gunfire from the quadcopters.”
Read more: MSF warns of dire conditions for displaced Palestinians in West Bank
Gaza healthcare system overwhelmed by airstrikes
Medical staff working in MSF-supported mobile clinics in Kamal Adwan and Gaza City, as well as at Al-Shifa Hospital and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, have reported a sharp increase in civilian injuries due to repeated airstrikes. At least six patients were treated by MSF teams, including a 15-year-old and a 71-year-old man. Staff at Al-Ahli Al-Maamadani Hospital and the Ministry of Health also received numerous additional casualties.
“I heard the sound of a missile, then a second missile, and then I lost consciousness,” said Mohammed Malaka, a patient at Al-Shifa hospital. “I opened my eyes and saw my father on the ground, and I saw my three brothers on the ground, covered in blood and dust was everywhere.”
“I could hear people screaming everywhere... the tents had become ashes, and people were lying on the ground everywhere,” he added.
Read more: UNICEF says vital child vaccines blocked from entering Gaza
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza Strip
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 300 Palestinians have been killed and over 760 injured across the Gaza Strip since October 11. The most recent Israeli attacks have intensified a humanitarian catastrophe that has already displaced thousands.
After two years of sustained war, Gaza’s population now faces a harsh winter with limited access to shelter, clean water, and basic medical care. Civilian infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, continues to be targeted, worsening the Gaza healthcare crisis.
MSF reiterated its call for the protection of all civilians, medical workers, and health infrastructure across Gaza. The organization urged the international community to act to stop the bloodshed and ensure humanitarian access.
Read more: 9 in 10 in Gaza face malnutrition as Israeli aid blockade remains
Two children killed every day since ceasefire: UNICEF
On his part, UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires stated to journalists on Friday that since the ceasefire went into effect, almost two children have been killed every day in Gaza.
"Since 11th of October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip, dozens more have been injured," Pires said.
He added that "an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect and the agreement that the killing would stop was finally achieved," emphasizing to reporters that these children being killed are not mere statistics but lives that have been cut short.
"I saw this myself when I was last there in August. The reality imposed on Gaza remains brutally simple. There is no safe place for them, and the world cannot continue to normalize their suffering," Pires stressed.
He noted that UNICEF teams witnessed amputated children sleeping outdoors and orphans shaking in fear, having to bear the flooding of makeshift shelters.
The first storm of winter has left displaced families in #Gaza flooded and exposed.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 15, 2025
Improvised tents made of tarps tore apart, soaking mattresses, kitchens, and children’s clothes.
With no supplies left, parents describe the fear, cold, and exhaustion as they try to survive… pic.twitter.com/61eD5e7Qra
The UNICEF spokesperson noted that his team "could do a lot more if the aid that is really needed was entering faster."
Pires warned that the upcoming winter will be harsh on the children, compounding a number of risks faced by the children of Gaza.
He told reporters that children have "no heating, no insulation, and too few blankets ... Respiratory infections are on the rise, while contaminated water fuels the spread of diarrhea."
“Children continue to clamber over broken rubble barefoot ... Too many children have already paid the highest price, too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire. The world promised them it (war) would stop and we would protect them," he added, urging, "Now we must act like it."
