Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced the immediate suspension of its operations in Gaza City because their medical centers were surrounded by Israeli troops that intensify a terrestrial and aerial offensive.
The NGO, whose central headquarters is located in the Swiss city of Geneva, warned that this decision puts at serious risk to the most vulnerable people, including babies in neonatal care, serious injuries and terminal patients who cannot move or receive adequate care.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is aggravated with mass evacuations and a growing number of victims, while new initiatives arise to financially sustain the Palestinian authority and multiply the critical voices of the Israeli offensive.
MSF suspension: a withdrawal before the Israeli offensive
“We have no choice but to suspend our activities in Gaza,” said Jacob Granger, Emergency Coordinator of MSF in the Strip, explaining that their medical centers are being blocked by the Israeli army.
The organization deeply regretted this turn that affects thousands of patients who depend on their services.
Since September 16, Israel began a wide offensive that seeks to take the city of Gaza, considered the Palestinian political and demographic epicenter.
According to the UN, more than 700 thousand Palestinians have fled south of the strip to escape the attacks.
Gaza’s civil defense reported at least 50 dead this Friday in Israeli attacks throughout the territory.
Among the deceased, 30 correspond to the city of Gaza, raising tension and suffering in the absence of medical services.
The Israeli army reported that its Air Force attacked more than 140 objectives, including tunnels, military infrastructures and combatants, in an offensive that Netanyahu describes as “finishing the work as quickly as possible.”
Humanitarian crisis and mass exodus
Continuous bombings and land operations have generated an unprecedented exodus. The UN Humanitarian Coordination Office (Ocha) estimates that about 388 400 people have started a displacement to the south of the Strip since the end of August.
The call of the army has urged to evacuate areas such as the port of Gaza and the Rimal to advance its military control. However, for many Palestinians there is no safe place where to go, as Rahma Abu Juwanah recounts, who lost his sister in a recent attack.
Restrictions for access to affected areas and limitation in the circulation of journalists hinders the independent verification of the facts, increasing fear among the civilian population.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSujou9amSI
New international financial coalition for the Palestinian authority
Given the economic crisis of the Palestinian authority, aggravated by the retention of fiscal income by Israel, twelve countries announced this Friday a coalition to guarantee the financing of this fundamental institution for regional governance and stability.
Among them are Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Saudi Arabia, along with other European nations such as Belgium, Norway and Ireland.
The so -called emergency coalition for financial sustainability seeks to avoid the collapse of the Palestinian authority, ensure essential services such as health and education, and preserve a possible solution of two states for the conflict.
Its members promised to contribute at least 170 million dollars, being Saudi Arabia the largest donor with 90 million. Donations also intend to accompany economic reforms and strengthen transparency and institutional responsibility.
Since October 2023, Israel retains Palestinian fiscal income alleging that they are destined to cover costs, but critics such as Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich have promoted measures to “economically strangle” to authority in order to weaken it.
Petro summons Colombian volunteers to “release” Gaza
In New York, Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared his intention to open a call to volunteers to fight for the “liberation” of Gaza, in a speech marked by his forceful criticism of the Israeli offensive.
Petro described the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, “genocidal” and proposed an armed alliance between “civilizations” to defend the Palestinian people.
The Colombian president, who accompanied Miles in a proportine march and broke diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024 for the climbing in Gaza, said he is not afraid to go to combat. He appeared wearing a Palestinian handkerchief and together with the British musician and activist Roger Waters defended the urgency of moving to action in defense of the rights of the Gazatis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axp21Vazudw
Mortal balance
The new war cycle between Palestinians and Israelis began after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, when 1 219 people died, mostly civilians. Since then, the Israeli offensive has left more than 65 500 Palestinian dead, according to data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza recognized by the UN, mostly civilians.
More than half a million people, approximately a quarter of the population, suffer catastrophic levels of hunger, with generalized starvation, extreme shortage of food and deaths associated with severe malnutrition.
Hungry especially affects children, sick and vulnerable people, with more than 132 thousand children under five years of death due to acute malnutrition.
The crisis is the result of the Israeli genocide policy that restricts the entry of food and basic supplies to the enclave, added to the current military offensive that has destroyed infrastructure and collapsed local production. The constant violence and massive displacements further aggravate the humanitarian crisis.
