Friend,

In January, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)’s head of medical activities in Gaza, Aurélie Godard, was sent in a convoy to deliver over 5,000 gallons of fuel to Gaza’s largest health care facility, Al-Shifa Hospital. It was her first assignment there since Israeli forces’ bombardments began—and what she saw was devastating.

“Al-Shifa Hospital was still standing, but it was badly damaged and barely functional,” Aurélie said. “The ceilings have been ripped open, and we have seen IV bags [to provide patients with drugs intravenously] hanging directly on the walls of the hospital, for lack of a better alternative. During our visit, we regularly heard explosions not far from the hospital.”

Amid these challenges, the team at the hospital managed to set up three operating rooms for urgent surgeries and were treating over 200 patients. They wanted to reopen the intensive care unit but had no way to properly monitor patients.

Today, Al-Shifa is in ruins after a 14-day long operation by Israeli forces. Approximately 107 people remained trapped inside as of April 1, including four children and 28 people in critical condition. Patients who remain in Al-Shifa Hospital must be safely evacuated so they can receive the care they need.

Needs remain high in northern Gaza, where people are still living—many of whom have suffered trauma related to war injuries or due to poor living conditions and winter illnesses. Given the extent of the destruction at Al-Shifa, people in the north of Gaza are left with even fewer health care options.

Friend, make a gift today to help MSF ramp up our efforts to provide lifesaving aid and medical care to people in Gaza, Haiti, and around the globe—wherever we’re needed most.

It’s clear: Health care is under attack in Gaza. Despite the collapse of Al-Shifa, the number of patients is still very high. MSF will continue responding to this crisis but your support is urgently needed as the humanitarian situation grows dire. Will you step up for patients in need? 

Rush a gift to support our independent, lifesaving care in Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti, and beyond to help ensure we can continue being there for patients caught in crisis zones.