“The responsibility lies with those who organized this shortage of food for months”, points out Médecins sans Frontières (MSF)

Isabelle Defourny, president of MSF, denounces the lack of humanitarian aid coming in in the face of a population that is starving and living in terrible conditions.

“The responsibility lies with those who organized this shortage of food for months”, pointed out Friday on franceinfo Isabelle Defourny, president of Médecins sans frontières (MSF) while a distribution of humanitarian aid turned into a tragedy Thursday near Gaza city. Hundreds of people rushed to vehicles that were supposed to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.

According to local residents, the situation degenerated and the Israeli army fired on the crowd, killing 110 people, according to Hamas. “We are facing chaos, civil disorder, there are no more police. Israel is making life impossible in Gaza. That’s what this tragedy shows”, explained Isabelle Defourny. Nearly 2.2 million Gazans are threatened by famine. Doctors Without Borders has been calling for a ceasefire for months. “Providing relief under bombardment is impossible. We must reassure the population. We must inform them that there will be enough” humanitarian aid “for everyone”she explained.

franceinfo. Is humanitarian aid reaching civilians in Gaza?

Isabelle Defourny: It arrives in totally insufficient quantity. The Israelis say there are no limits to sending humanitarian aid, but in practice there are many controls before entering the Gaza Strip which greatly hamper the amount of aid and particularly food that can fit. We also saw, for example, demonstrations by Israeli civilians who blocked entry into the Gaza Strip. Then, once it gets to the Gaza Strip, there are many checkpoints. All of this means that very little aid comes in while we are faced with a population that is hungry, that has been displaced many times, that lives in terrible conditions.

Is the risk of famine real?

Yes. Our teams on site attest to this. Our own staff clearly says that they are not getting enough to eat. We are in the south of the Gaza Strip, but probably in the north the situation is much more severe if we are to believe the studies of the various surveys that have been carried out. The malnutrition rates that were found in the various surveys are malnutrition rates that are equivalent to what we find, for example, in Sahelian countries. This has never existed in Gaza, so we are already seeing the real consequence of this siege, of this shortage of food.

Trucks full of food are stormed. How can we prevent this from happening again?

We are in a situation where today, ultimately, the fact that there is too little aid, too little food coming in for a population that is impatiently waiting for it, means that the first people are throwing themselves on the trucks.

“For months, Israel has destroyed all infrastructure supporting civilian life: hospitals, schools, water sources. Means of subsistence have been destroyed: fields, fishing. People who help the population have been killed: aid workers, police officers, journalists.

Isabelle Defourny, president of Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

at franceinfo

Medical personnel are arrested en masse. We are facing chaos, civil disorder, there are no more police. Israel is making life impossible in Gaza. This is what this tragedy that happened shows. Whatever the exact circumstances of this tragedy, the responsibility lies with those who organized this shortage of food for months.

What are the conditions for humanitarian aid to reach all residents of the Gaza Strip?

The Israelis have been told for months that the minimum conditions are not there to ensure humanitarian aid. We are talking about an end to hostilities, a cease-fire. Setting up relief under bombardment is impossible. We must reassure the population. We must inform that there will be enough for everyone. It will undoubtedly be necessary to allow the population to move and relieve congestion in cities like Rafah. We also need UNRWA to successfully implement large-scale relief efforts. I agree that we are far from it. But this drama shows how urgent it is.