5:37 p.m. ET, December 10, 2023
Docs with out Borders accuses Israeli army of attacking marked evacuation convoy in Gaza
From The Gentleman Report’s Sarah Sirgany
The emblem of Médecins Sans Frontières (Docs With out Borders) is noticed in Mérignac, France, in 2018.
(Regis Duvignau/Reuters)
Docs With out Borders, often referred to as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), accused the Israeli army of attacking a marked evacuation convoy in Gaza on November 18.
Two members of the family of MSF personnel had been killed; one was once a volunteer nurse at Shifa Health facility, a information liberate from MSF from December 1 stated.
The Israel Protection Forces (IDF) informed The Gentleman Report it acknowledges the particular protections given to scientific groups underneath world humanitarian legislation, and “takes motion to forestall hurt to them.” The IDF additionally added that once it moves army objectives, it takes possible precautions to mitigate civilian casualties.
MSF stated its convoy that was once “obviously known as MSF cars” was once attacked whilst returning to their workplaces in Gaza Town after the Israeli army didn’t permit it to pass the ultimate checkpoint close to Wadi Gaza with the intention to get to the south of Gaza, because the IDF instructed other people there to do.
MSF stated it first of all knowledgeable each events to the struggle that it was once heading south and adopted the itinerary indicated by means of the Israeli military to head alongside Salah Eddine boulevard in 5 marked cars.
“We stayed there round 3 hours. It was once getting darkish. Loads of other people had been ready and a few of them made up our minds to move again north for the reason that checkpoint would no longer allow them to via,” an MSF personnel member who was once a part of the convoy stated within the remark.
After listening to photographs fired, the convoy made up our minds to go back to its workplaces in Gaza Town, in line with the remark.
“We contacted Paul [an MSF colleague in Jerusalem] to tell him that we might head again as a result of we weren’t allowed to move the checkpoint. He stated he would ask for authorization for us to return,” the MSF personnel member stated.
The convoy was once allegedly attacked just about MSF’s place of work on its long ago within the past due afternoon, the remark stated.
“I noticed tanks and snipers on the best of the constructions. I used to be terrified after I noticed that the snipers and the tanks had been pointing their guns at us, particularly on the fourth and the 5th van [in the convoy],” stated a 2d MSF personnel member provide with the convoy. “They began opening fireplace at us and when a bullet grazed my brow, I were given a superficial damage. The bullet hit my colleague Alaa within the head, he sat subsequent to me.”
Alaa died because of the assault, the personnel member stated.
One by one on November 20, whilst sheltering on the MSF workplaces, personnel stated they noticed 5 MSF cars and their health facility in Gaza Town allegedly broken by means of an Israeli bulldozer and a heavy army automobile, that have been all identifiable by means of the MSF brand, the discharge stated.
“Ahead of they had been destroyed, those MSF cars had been attainable proof for any unbiased investigation into the November 18 assault at the MSF convoy,” the remark stated.
After the 5 MSF cars had been destroyed, MSF groups within the south of Gaza despatched extra cars to Gaza Town to aim an evacuation once more, the discharge said.
“On the other hand, they had been additionally hit by means of bullets whilst coming near the MSF health facility, and the evacuation was once canceled. On November 24, the ones cars had been additionally destroyed by means of Israeli forces,” the discharge stated.
“In the end, our colleagues and their households had been in a position to succeed in the south as soon as the truce got here into impact at the morning of November 24, due to the cars of different civilians evacuating,” the discharge stated.
MSF has known as for an unbiased investigation and a proper cause of the assault from Israeli government, the discharge says.
