The humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has denounced that Israel is carrying out a "deliberate and systematic annihilation of the necessary conditions for life" in the Gaza Strip, through attacks that have targeted homes, hospitals, roads, and essential water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure.
Apart from the human toll - with over 60,000 people killed in "indiscriminate attacks" - the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian enclave has left a large part of the population without healthcare, blocked the entry of food, water, electricity, and medicine, forced massive internal displacements, and destroyed public and private buildings, as denounced by MSF in a statement released on Friday.
To support its claim, MSF has relied on data collected by various United Nations agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The latter estimates that 436,000 homes have been destroyed (160,000) or damaged (276,000) by Israeli attacks since October 2023, which represents 92% of the total existing in the Strip. This is in addition to severe damage to 70% of the enclave's structures, according to the UN Satellite Center (UNOSAT). Furthermore, a rapid damage assessment report, jointly prepared by the World Bank, the UN, and the European Union, indicates that 88% of the inspected businesses and industries are damaged (22%) or destroyed (66%).
MSF's own teams report that hospitals like Nasser and Al Aqsa have been bombed on numerous occasions, and some, like the European Hospital of Gaza, are not functioning at all due to the ongoing siege by Tel Aviv. "In northern Gaza, there is not a single fully operational hospital, and on June 30, Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City had to interrupt dialysis for a day due to fuel shortages," lamented the NGO. According to WHO data, 94% of the enclave's hospitals have been hit by the attacks, and only half of the hospital centers are partially functional (18 out of 36). Moreover, 61% of primary care centers are not operational.
Regarding the road infrastructure, 80% of the main, secondary, and tertiary roads are damaged or destroyed, along with 62% of the entire road network (including agricultural roads), according to IRDNA. Meanwhile, 82% of public water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities are located in militarized zones or under Israeli evacuation orders.
On this last point, MSF - which has also shared updated satellite images from Google Maps showing what Gaza was like and how it is now after almost two years of the offensive - has pointed out that 87.8% of the Strip is subject to forced displacement orders or has become a militarized area by the Israeli army.