Médecins sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is horrified by the killing of two MSF doctors, Dr Mahmoud Abu Nujaila and Dr Ahmad Al Sahar, and a third doctor working with Al Awda, Dr. Ziad Al-Tatari, following a strike on Al Awda Hospital, one of the last remaining functional hospitals in Northern Gaza. Our thoughts are with their families and all colleagues mourning their death.
When the third and fourth levels of the building were struck, Drs. Abu Nujaila and Al Sahar were inside. Other medical personnel, including employees of MSF, also suffered serious injuries. Conflict parties have frequently received information from MSF regarding Al Awda’s status as a working hospital and the presence of its personnel there. Israeli authorities were also provided with GPS coordinates yesterday.
We unequivocally denounce this strike and reiterate our demand for the dignity and safety of healthcare institutions, personnel, and patients.
At the time of writing, more than 200 patients are still in Al Awda and are unable to receive the level of care they need. These patients must be urgently and safely evacuated to other hospitals that are still functioning, although all hospitals in Gaza have been working beyond their capacities since October due to ongoing shortages, attacks, and extremely high caseloads.
This is the second incidence in the past few days that MSF staff members have experienced. Our colleagues in Gaza are working through incredibly trying times to deliver what little medical care they can to hundreds of patients. It is horrific to witness doctors being slaughtered close to hospital beds, and this has to end immediately.
International humanitarian law is gravely violated when attacks on medical institutions occur, and in recent weeks, these attacks have become more frequent. More than ever, we demand an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza, the lifting of the siege, and the defense of medical facilities and personnel.
MSF has been working in Al Awda since 2018, providing reconstructive surgeries for adults and trauma surgeries for children. We pay tribute to the courage of our colleagues, and we will always remember them.
