One dead and one injured after attack on Doctors Without Borders convoy in Gaza

Jerusalem – The organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported early on Sunday that one of its collaborators died and another was injured after an attack on a convoy that was evacuating personnel from the organization and their families to the south of the Gaza Strip.

“Yesterday, November 18, 2023, the relative of one of our workers was killed and another was injured in an attack on a convoy that was trying to evacuate 137 people, members of our Palestinian staff and their families,” MSF said on its website. official.

“These people had been trapped for a week in our facilities located near Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. “We condemn in the strongest terms this deliberate attack,” he added.

MSf assured that “this morning, at 9:00 am local time (07:00 GMT), our convoy made up of five vehicles, all clearly marked with the MSF identification, even on the roofs of the cars, with 137 people (members of our Palestinian staff and family members, including 65 children) left our facilities (the accommodation, the office and the outpatient clinic located near Al Shifa Hospital) towards the south of the Gaza Strip towards a further location. sure”.

The NGO noted that since November 11, “these people were trapped under the fire of continuous fighting and, since then, we had repeatedly requested that they be evacuated safely.”

Doctors Without Borders noted that “the two parties in conflict (Israel and the Islamist group Hamas) had been informed of this movement. The convoy followed the itinerary indicated by the Israeli Army and arrived at Salah Al Deen Street, along with other civilians who were trying to leave the area.”

Continuing with its account of the situation, MSF stated that “the convoy reached the last checkpoint near Wadi Gaza, which at that time was overcrowded due to the exhaustive checks on the Palestinian population by Israeli forces. “Despite information shared with the Israeli Army, they were not allowed to cross the checkpoint for hours.”

“Later, our personnel heard gunshots which forced them to turn back out of fear and return to our facilities, located about 7 kilometers from the checkpoint.”

Later, “on the way back, between 15:30 and 16:00 local time, the convoy was attacked on Al-Wehda Street, near the junction with Said Al A’as Street, near our office. “Two of the MSF cars were deliberately hit, killing a relative of one worker and injuring another relative.”

The statement emphasizes reiterating “its call to urgently allow the evacuation of its personnel, as well as thousands of other people, trapped by the fighting and living in extremely terrible conditions in northern Gaza.”

The Israel Defense Forces are carrying out operations against the Islamist group Hamas at the Al Shifa facility, one of the main hospital centers in Gaza.