Japanese MSF Member Deplores Gaza Medical Crisis

Cairo, Feb. 19 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese member of Doctors Without Borders has expressed a sense of crisis as the group known as MSF has to stop humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip due to Israel’s measure banning international nongovernmental organizations from operating there. “We’ll no longer be able to cover medical needs,” Takayuki Matsuda, 40, who was engaged in procurement of goods and equipment maintenance in the Palestinian territory between December last year and Feb. 12 this year, said in an interview in Cairo. MSF, short for Medecins Sans Frontieres, supports medical institutions in Gaza, covering a fifth of the total number of hospital beds in the territory. The Israeli military continued armed attacks even after the ceasefire with Hamas last October, claiming that the Islamic group violated the agreement. Also affected by persisting clashes among Palestinians, the situation in Gaza remains unstable. Reconstruction has not progressed, while medical needs remain acute. Matsuda supported the operation of Nasser Hospital, a major medical institution in Khan Younis, a city in the south of the enclave. Stray bullets sometimes hit an MSF base about 1 kilometer from an area controlled by the Israeli military. MSF was forced to stop its activities at Nasser Hospital from Jan. 20 onward. When Matsuda entered Gaza last summer, there was a food crisis as Israeli forces continued their attacks. The ceasefire has improved food distribution to some extent. However, he emphasized that row after row of makeshift evacuation tents remains, saying, “The harsh living environment has not changed at all.” In December last year, Israel concluded that car tires and power generator parts used by MSF could be repurposed for military use, blocking the delivery of such items by the group. Since January this year, MSF has been unable to receive other supplies and has continued its activities with donations of medical supplies from the World Health Organization and others. Under its new NGO registration system, the Israeli government has demanded the personal information of workers in Gaza, including local hires. MSF refused to submit such information due to safety concerns after some of its members were killed in an Israeli attack. In January, the Israeli government announced the revocation of licenses of 37 NGOs. MSF international staff will withdraw from Gaza by the end of this month. MSF may continue activities with only local staff from next month. “I don’t know if the safety of local staff can be ensured,” Matsuda said, adding that it is unclear whether MSF will continue operating there. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]