MSF accuses Israeli occupation of exploiting Gaza’s aid as “bargaining paper”

GAZA, Mar. 13 (YPA) – Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Wednesday condemned the Israeli occupation’s use of humanitarian aid as a means of pressure and bargaining in the Gaza Strip, calling for an end to the crippling blockade and the entry of vital supplies.

Miriam Laroussi, the organization’s emergency coordinator, explained in its statement that the Israeli authorities routinely exploit humanitarian aid as a negotiating tool, describing this behavior as shameful.

Laroussi emphasized that it is absolutely unacceptable to use humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip in conflicts, adding that the comprehensive blockade on supplies is harming hundreds of thousands of people with dire consequences.

The organization noted that the Israeli power cut has forced Gaza’s main desalination plant to rely on fuel to operate, leading to a significant drop in drinking water production from 17 million liters to 2.5 million liters per day.

It also warned of the gradual and severe impact of the power cut on public water supply in the Strip, home to approximately 2.2 million people suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis.

MSF explained that the system of goods entering Gaza, systematically imposed by the Israeli authorities to obstruct humanitarian aid, made it impossible to significantly expand humanitarian operations, even before the imposition of the latest blockade.

It noted that the last shipment the organization’s teams were able to deliver to Gaza included three trucks loaded with medical supplies on February 27.

The organization explained that “after 15 months of bombing, displacement and disease outbreaks, relief efforts remained bound by the obligatory pre-approval requirements imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities.”

At the beginning of this month, the first stage of the 42-day agreement ended, and “Israel” is dismissed from entering the second stage.

YPA