Israel accused of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza by Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières-MSF) has accused Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza in a new report documenting attacks on medical facilities and staff during the 14-month conflict.

The report, titled “Gaza: Life in a Death Trap“, details 41 attacks on MSF personnel, including airstrikes on health facilities and direct fire on humanitarian convoys, leading to 17 hospital evacuations.

“We are seeing clear signs of ethnic cleansing as Palestinians are forcibly displaced, trapped and bombed”, said Christopher Lockyear, MSF’s secretary general. Israel has consistently denied allegations that its military campaign amounts to genocide.

The humanitarian organisation reported that aid access has been severely restricted, with daily truck deliveries dropping to 37 in October 2024 from 500 before the conflict.

The report highlights particularly intense military operations in northern Gaza, especially around the Jabalia camp since early October.

MSF medical teams have conducted over 27,500 consultations and 7,500 surgeries in one year.

They report widespread disease among the displaced population, with 90 percent of Gazans forced from their homes and living in dire conditions.

The organisation criticised Israel’s strict limitations on medical evacuations, saying only 1.6 percent of requests were approved between May and September 2024.

Lockyear said the situation witnessed by MSF teams “is consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organisations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza”.

The report calls for an immediate ceasefire, lifting of the siege, and increased humanitarian aid access. MSF also urged Israel’s allies to end their “unconditional support” and meet their obligations to prevent genocide in Gaza.

Experts, governments, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organisations have also accused Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people.