Without means to travel and no safe place to seek shelter, many Palestinians have no option but to stay in Gaza City despite the intensifying military offensive.
The severely damaged Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza City in March 2025. The three main hospitals in the north, Kamal Adwan, Al Awda, and Indonesian hospitals, were under siege since October 2024, and relentless attacks largely destroyed the facilities. | Palestine 2025 © MSF
As Israel’s military operations escalate in and around Gaza City in northern Gaza, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continues to provide care for Palestinians injured by Israeli airstrikes, as well as those who are malnourished amid a declared famine in the region.
Instead of more violence, people in Gaza need an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
In the past three days, the Israeli forces have accelerated their genocidal campaign and ethnic cleansing by expanding their military activity into Gaza City.
In Gaza City there are bombings during the day and night, and the people are terrified and unsure of where to go or what to do.
We’ve seen entire neighborhoods being destroyed and demolished, with practically no buildings left standing. These are areas under evacuation orders, but the attacks are not only happening in those areas—they’re also taking place in the rest of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of people still live.
Our teams continue to provide care for Palestinians injured by Israeli airstrikes—burns, trauma, and severe fractures—as well as for those suffering from malnutrition in our maternity and neonatal intensive care units.
Remaining hospitals in Gaza City are overwhelmed; they are already operating beyond their capacity, and the potential evacuation of all the patients—including newborns and critically ill patients—would be extremely difficult.
Very few people have been able to move south because most of them don’t have the means to travel, as transportation is expensive. And even in the south, there is no space set up to allow nearly 1 million people to settle—a place that is not free from attacks either.
People are not only confused by contradictory messages but are also besieged by bombings and attacks, and they really don’t see any solution. Many are still staying in Gaza City simply because they have no other option.
The Israeli offensive on Gaza City must be stopped immediately.
