It will not have escaped your notice: there has finally been an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza. As I write to you, there is relief.
It’s good news, but far too late.
Many thousands of people have been killed and injured. Hospitals have been destroyed and medical supplies are running low. Many people do not receive the care they urgently need.
“The destruction is abnormal and catastrophic. As if an atomic bomb had hit the area. It is a spectacle that cannot be described.”
– Our patient Mustafa Hassan Abu Hamada from Gaza City
Extra teams
Thanks to our donors, we have been providing medical care in Gaza for many years. Since the escalation of the conflict, we have been working around the clock to help people who have nowhere else to turn. We are currently in prepairing to scale up our assistance, but this is only possible with sufficient access to the affected areas.
Large-scale help needed now
Time is ticking for the people of Gaza. Without immediate, large-scale humanitarian assistance, more people could die from disease, hunger and deprivation than from direct violence. I assure you that we will continue to work day and night to assist young and old in the most difficult circumstances.
I’ll keep you informed.
Kind regards,
Karel Hendriks
director of Doctors Without Borders
Photo ANP