Israel continues to weaponize aid in Gaza despite ceasefire: MSF

TEHRAN (Iran News) In an interview published Friday, Willemen told Turkey’s Anadolu news agency that Israel is restricting aid to Gaza under different excuses, while humanitarian assistance should not be tied to political issues.

“I think as we’ve seen over the past two years, humanitarian aid is being used against the people of Gaza. Many different excuses have been put forward to block humanitarian aid, such as the return of the bodies of deceased Israeli prisoners and ceasefire violations. However, humanitarian aid shouldn’t be contingent on such things,” she said.

Willemen also said shortages of water and shelter persist, with hundreds of thousands of residents still living in tents despite approaching winter.

She reported cases of severe malnutrition among children and pregnant women as well, saying that the situation is alarming, as providing daily health services remains extremely difficult.

On Thursday, Doctors Without Borders said in another report that despite the ceasefire, more than a million Palestinians are still being forced to survive on “a tiny patch of land in southern Gaza,” where living conditions are dire and dangerous to their health.

“Along with the massive destruction of civilian infrastructure and the health system by Israeli forces, this displacement has created a perfect storm for the spread of disease and illness,” the report said.

Citing medical data collected by MSF teams this year, the report said that diseases directly linked to poor living conditions account for 70% of all outpatient consultations in the NGO’s healthcare centers in southern Gaza.

Without immediate improvements to water, sanitation, shelter, and nutrition, more people will die from entirely preventable causes, it said.

The ceasefire, agreed between Hamas and Israel, began on October 10 and was meant to put an end to two years of the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza. However, since then, Israeli forces have repeatedly violated the ceasefire, launching airstrikes and shooting at civilians across the territory.

According to Gaza officials, some 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect.