Mosul’s old town experienced intense shelling, aerial bombing and attacks with improvised explosive devices (IED) during the conflict to retake the city from the Islamic State group in 2016/17. Much of the old city is still inaccessible due to the destruction and presence of IEDs, unexploded ordinance (UXO) and booby traps.

Between 5,000 and 7,000 people have returned to their homes in Mosul’s old city, despite the danger of explosive remnants of war. They face extremely difficult conditions, often living without water and electricity and in partially damaged houses.

Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) distributed 550 hygiene kits to families in Mosul’s old city on Saturday 14 April. The kits included items such as soap, toothbrushes, towels and water containers. The kits will help families stay clean and prevent the spread of diseases. MSF also runs a maternity and paediatrics hospital in west Mosul, and a post-operative and surgical unit for war-wounded patients in east Mosul.