MSF: Gaza Medics Still Facing 'As Hard As It's Ever Been' Conditions Despite Truce

Javid Abdelmoneim, president of medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), warned that conditions for medical staff and patients in Gaza remain critically strained despite a nearly two-month US-backed truce. Speaking to AFP at the Doha Forum, he described hospitals operating with insufficient supplies and damaged infrastructure that produce "substandard" care.

Conditions in Gaza

Abdelmoneim said teams in Gaza continue to perform surgeries, deliveries and wound care, but often with inferior materials, outdated protocols and limited drugs. "You're using protocols or materials and drugs that are inferior, that are not the standard. So you've got substandard care being delivered," he said.

"It's as hard as it's ever been," Abdelmoneim said, calling the pause in fighting only a "ceasefire of sorts" that has not halted fatalities.

Local health authorities report that 376 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the truce began. MSF teams continue to treat injured patients across emergency rooms in the Strip, but Abdelmoneim said the flow of aid has not reached the scale needed to restore acceptable standards of care.

Aid Access, Allegations and Genocide Claim

MSF accused parties of "weaponising" humanitarian aid by using access and deliveries as leverage, a tactic Abdelmoneim said contributes to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. In 2024 MSF reported that its teams had documented evidence that led the organisation to conclude that genocide was taking place in Gaza; Israel's foreign ministry rejected that finding as "fabricated." The organisation emphasised these are its conclusions based on field observations and called for independent scrutiny.

Abdelmoneim pointed to two linked problems driving worse outcomes: chronic shortages of medical supplies and the destruction of hospitals. He said the absence so far of field hospitals has compounded the crisis, producing higher infection rates, longer stays and greater risks of complications.

Sudan: Attacks on Health Care and Mass Displacement

The MSF president also highlighted attacks on health facilities in Sudan. He said paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized El-Fasher, the North Darfur capital, after an 18-month siege; reports from the ground describe widespread atrocities. The World Health Organization reported that more than 460 patients and companions were reportedly shot dead at a maternity hospital in El-Fasher during its capture, and that six health workers were abducted. Separately, an RSF drone strike on Kalogi in South Kordofan hit a children's nursery and a hospital, killing dozens, according to local officials.

MSF teams working in Sudan and neighbouring Chad are hearing "harrowing tales of sexual violence, ethnically targeted attacks, and extortion," as well as indicators of "famine-like conditions." In Tawila, MSF said more than 650,000 people are sheltering after fleeing El-Fasher and nearby Zamzam camp; survivors reported relatives detained and never seen again.

Calls For Protection and Independent Inquiry

Abdelmoneim urged all parties to allow humanitarian and medical workers "freedom, protection and access to the population, and that includes supplies." MSF supports calls by the UN Human Rights Council for an independent investigation into alleged violations in El-Fasher and encouraged member states to back an inquiry. The charity stressed that impartial investigations and unimpeded aid deliveries are essential to protect civilians and restore basic health services.

Note: Figures and allegations quoted in this report are attributed to MSF, local health authorities and the World Health Organization as reported to AFP. Israel has previously rejected MSF's 2024 assessment that concluded genocide was taking place.