Bombing has rendered roads "inoperable" on Gaza side of key border crossing with Egypt, foreign minister says

Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, issued a plea to the Israeli authorities Saturday, urging them to “show humanity” as the ultimatum given to the population in Gaza expires.

Despite Israeli announcements suggesting there are safe areas for the population trapped in the Gaza Strip, they have been exposed to bombardment throughout the territory, including in the south, where tens of thousands of people fled following the ultimatum, the group said.

An Israeli-decreed humanitarian corridor in the north of Gaza has expired, raising grave concerns about “the fate of those who will not be able to move, such as the wounded, the sick and the medical staff, who we fear will be wiped out in view of the statements made by the Israeli military authorities,” the group added.

Doctors Without Borders called for the establishment of secure zones in the north and periodic cease-fires. Additionally, they advocated for the possibility of those who wish to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing, without compromising their right to return.

The group requested the evacuation of their Palestinian staff who desire to depart.

“As the Israeli army has been bombarding the Gaza Strip without restraint for a week, we are calling for the most elementary humanity to be shown,” the statement said. 

Doctors Without Borders decried Israel’s mandate, stating the order for “nearly 1.1 million people to move in a few hours to an already overpopulated territory with precarious access to food, water and healthcare is as absurd as it is intolerable.”

The group demanded the immediate restoration of adequate access to drinking water for Gaza's population, which is becoming increasingly scarce in the south, intensifying the suffering of the residents.