Helen Ottens-Patterson, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency co-ordinator for Gaza, states that the current humanitarian aid to Gaza is a mere facade. In a phonecall from her Cairo base, she highlights the dire state of the region, expressing that the simple provision of aid is not sufficient; what is paramount is for the active conflict to end.
She describes the situation on the ground as catastrophic, with hospitals deliberately targeted and infrastructure severely affected; the healthcare system entirely obliterated.
Emphasising MSF’s demand for an immediate ceasefire, Ottens-Patterson lauds the Irish government’s stance towards the situation, though she expresses her doubt about international involvement, apart from Ireland.
MSF operates primarily in the southern part of Gaza, including at the An-Najar Hospital, the Indonesian Field Hospital in Rafah, the European Hospital, Emirati Maternity Hospital, a primary healthcare facility and two health posts in Al Mawasi, among others. Also, it offers support to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and Al-Awda and Al-Shifa hospitals in the northern region. MSF teams provide various services ranging from surgery to outpatient care and mental health support.
The MSF team consists of approximately 20 international and 250-300 fluctuating Palestinian staff members, many of whom have been compelled to flee from the north to the south. As well as caring for the injured, they are burdened with looking after their own families. Notably, five team members, including several family members, have been casualties of the conflict. Among them was Reem Abu Lebdeh, a prominent MSF UK trustee and past staff member.
Drs Mahmoud Abu Nujaila and Ahmad Al Sahar were tragically killed in an airstrike on Al-Awda Hospital while Alaa Al-Shawa, a volunteer nurse, was fatally wounded by a gunshot to his head during an MSF convoy evacuation operation. The bombing of Al Shati refugee camp led to the death of lab technician Mohammad Al Ahel.
Ottens-Patterson states that operating within the region’s health infrastructure is impossible due to the lack of security, despite MSF’s ability to bring in limited medical supplies. He notes that food is obtainable in Rafah, however, only by those who can finance it. He adds that while malnutrition cases are sporadic in the south, they are proliferating alarmingly in the north. Those suffering from malnutrition require specific diets, medical attention, and injections due to their vulnerability to infections, anaemia, diarrhoea, pneumonia, and measles. Unfortunately, their homes often lack food.
Ottens-Patterson also expresses doubts about the planned maritime humanitarian corridor from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Gaza. He underscores the potential issues by stating that it is not enough for aid to merely reach the beach; it must be effectively distributed to those who need it. He argues that aid air drops are politically symbolic but are financially burdensome, and that air-dropped food is not suitable for those battling malnutrition.
Ottens-Patterson voices his objection to the conflict’s five-month duration, warning that the lack of adherence to humanitarian law may bring negative consequences in the future.
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