The temporary ceasefire agreement in Gaza is a relief, but it is only the beginning in addressing the immense humanitarian, psychological, and medical needs in Gaza. This cessation of fighting and bombing must be respected and long-term in order for Palestinians to begin to recover from the last 15 months of war and start to rebuild their lives.
The war has had horrific impacts
For Palestinians in Gaza, this ceasefire agreement arrives more than 465 days and 46,000 lives too late.
The toll of this brutal war includes the obliteration of homes, hospitals, and infrastructure, and the displacement of 1.9 million people who are heavily reliant on humanitarian aid and in desperate need of water, food, and shelter, especially in the cold winter.
The massive destruction of Gaza has caused pain and suffering for millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, while many families in Israel continue to desperately wait for the return of loved ones taken hostage on October 7, 2023.
In the more than 15 months since, Gaza’s hospital rooms have been filled with patients with severed limbs and other life-altering trauma caused by strikes, as well as distressed people searching for the bodies of their family members.
Health facilities and medical staff have been attacked, and eight MSF colleagues have been killed during this war. Meanwhile, an appalling number of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank have been arbitrarily detained.
Increasing humanitarian aid is crucial
Israel must immediately end its inhumane blockade of Gaza and ensure a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid into and across Gaza so that the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians surviving desperate conditions can begin their long roads to recovery.
According to the United Nations, an average of 500 trucks entered the Strip daily before October 7, 2023, yet between October 7, 2023 and January 13, 2025, there was only an average of 115 trucks entering daily. This is a drop in the ocean to meet the immense needs in the Strip.
Humanitarian needs have reached to catastrophic levels; meeting even a fraction of these needs will only be possible through a rapid and massive scale-up of global humanitarian aid into and within the Strip.
"We are witnessing Palestinian life being wiped out from the area"
Read moreWe call on Israeli authorities to urgently ensure humanitarian aid into Gaza, medical evacuations, and particularly access to the north, which has been under siege since October 2024. We call on Israel, Hamas, and other groups and organizations in control of Gaza to respect the agreement, as well the safe and secure delivery of humanitarian assistance to people.
The Israeli government, Hamas, and world leaders have tragically failed the people of Gaza by not having agreed and imposed a sustained ceasefire sooner. The relief that this ceasefire brings is far from enough for Palestinians in Gaza to rebuild their lives, reclaim their dignity, and mourn those killed and all that’s been lost.
MSF remains committed to working around the clock to provide care to people in Gaza.
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Story Jan 17, 2025
North Gaza: “We are witnessing Palestinian life being wiped out from t...
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