Three years on, Israel is asphyxiating Gaza and dismantling the means of survival – MSF

AMMAN/JERUSALEM, October 5: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned that Israel is progressively “asphyxiating” Gaza, with the space available for people to live shrinking and the conditions necessary for survival being systematically undermined.

According to MSF, continued violence, restrictions on essential supplies and the destruction of healthcare and vital infrastructure are making it increasingly difficult for Palestinians in Gaza to survive.

MSF said the physical confinement of people in Gaza has become increasingly definitive over the past year with the establishment of Israel’s Yellow Line. Initially presented as a temporary military withdrawal position and part of maintaining the so-called ceasefire, the line has since been reinforced by military positions and berms, while demolitions continue.

The organisation said Israeli forces now occupy approximately 65 per cent of Gaza, with the Yellow Line creating a clear boundary around the area under their control.

As the line moves westward, people living nearby face an increasingly immediate threat, MSF said. Its teams continue to treat people suffering gunshot wounds in areas near the line, while water-trucking operations have also been disrupted by shooting.

“The Yellow Line cannot be treated simply as a line on a map,” said Amande Bazerolle, MSF head of emergency response in Gaza. “It has become a mechanism of encirclement and ethnic cleansing, while cutting communities off from the infrastructure, healthcare, water and other essentials they need to survive.”

MSF said violence has continued despite the so-called ceasefire. In June and July alone, its teams treated more than 1,200 cases of violent trauma across Gaza, including blast injuries, burns, gunshot wounds and injuries resulting from physical assault.

Over the past three years, MSF said its teams have treated more than 200,000 trauma cases, while claiming that Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 74,000 people, including more than 20,000 children.

The organisation also warned of worsening living conditions as families are forced into increasingly overcrowded areas with insufficient access to clean water, sanitation, shelter and healthcare.

MSF said its teams have treated more than 11,000 cases of skin diseases such as scabies this year, while more than 1,500 cases of chickenpox were recorded in June and July.

Despite distributing around 2.1 million litres of drinking water per day in August, MSF said the scale of humanitarian needs remains far beyond what can be addressed under the existing restrictions.

Dr Murad Asaliyya, MSF medical activities manager in Gaza, said most people have less than six litres of domestic-use water per day and limited access to basic hygiene products. He also warned of shortages of medical supplies, including products used to treat scabies.

MSF further said Gaza’s healthcare system has deteriorated dramatically over the past three years. Restrictions on supplies such as engine oil and spare parts are affecting hospitals, ambulances and water systems, while generators are breaking down and water-trucking operations have been reduced.

The organisation said more than 80 per cent of structures in Gaza have been damaged, adding that the destruction of healthcare infrastructure and the long-term physical and psychological consequences of repeated violence and displacement could prevent meaningful recovery for years.

MSF also highlighted the deteriorating situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where it said settler attacks, military operations, home demolitions, displacement and movement restrictions have intensified since 2023.

“It will take generations to recover from the harm that has already been done over the past three years, and in the preceding decades,” Bazerolle said. “Governments must act now to ensure Israel stops the destruction and killing, prevents ethnic cleansing, and stops denying Palestinians the means of survival.”