On the morning of 2 March, a Palestinian man was shot next to the entrance of the MSF-supported Al-Shaboura clinic, Rafah, in southern Gaza. This was then followed by a round of bullets shot near the facility, leading our team to take shelter inside the clinic. A bullet hit the building.
"While we can't confirm the source of these bullets, shots fired from the southern Israeli-controlled buffer zone are increasingly common and cost lives, despite the ceasefire. This incident is unacceptable. It jeopardised the lives of our patients and staff," says Myriam Laaroussi, MSF Emergency Coordinator.
“We were scared and anxious and the patients were confused. We had to sit on the floor and wait for the shooting to stop,” explains Mohammad Afana, MSF health promoter. “I have a constant fear for our patients because the resources in Rafah are extremely limited, and a huge amount of support is needed.”
People in Gaza don’t have proper access to health care, as most of the health system was destroyed by Israeli forces during the war. It’s imperative that the remaining health facilities are respected and protected.