“Some days, more dead than injured arrive at the hospital” in Gaza, warns MSF president

“It’s unique to have so many war-wounded children in a conflict,” notes Isabelle Defourny, Saturday December 9 on franceinfo.

“Some days, more dead than injured arrive at the hospital” in the Gaza Strip, alert Saturday December 9 on franceinfo Isabelle Defourny, the president of Médecins sans frontières (MSF). She describes a situation “more desperate than ever” in this area, a week after the resumption of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

MSF teams continue to work in the al-Aqsa hospital, says Isabelle Defourny, but in “extremely difficult conditions”. The president of the NGO warns about the number of children present in hospital services. “It’s unique to have so many war-wounded children in a conflict, usually they are adults or men, but not so many children”she laments.

They represent “around 25%” injured, including “50% who are under 18”explains Isabelle Defourny. “The teams tell us that all these people suffer from multiple trauma and are crushed, burned, dismembered”she reports, “children arrive torn, in tatters, it’s horrible”.

“38% of the population of the South say they suffer severely from hunger”

Beyond the injuries, Isabelle Defourny is also concerned about the humanitarian consequences of this conflict on the civilian population of Gaza. She cites a survey conducted this week by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), which concludes “that 38% of the population of the South say they suffer severely from hunger”which means that “during the last ten days, they have sometimes gone 24 hours without eating”.

According to the president of MSG, even if “the truce made it possible to bring medicines, medical equipment and a little food”, It’s not enough. Especially since “as soon as the conflict resumed, the number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip was reduced enormously,” deplores Isabelle Defourny. She also insists on “the impossibility of setting up distributions due to the bombings”, which makes him say, as well as other aid actors, “that the continuation of relief is very, very limited in these conditions […]the entire aid system is in difficulty.”.