Doctors Without Borders says its clinic in Gaza came under fire

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Monday said that its office in the besieged Gaza Strip came under fire, as the French-based humanitarian organization fears life of people inside.

The attack occurred morning hours of Monday and a wall of the office was torn down and part of the building was engulfed by fire, said the MSF, citing the colleagues on the ground, as heavy fighting took place all around it.

"An Israeli tank was seen in the street," said the charity which provides humanitarian medical care.

An MSF staff member and 20 relatives are in the clinic and "in extreme danger," the organization warned, adding that it has no information regarding their status.

"We urgently call for a stop to the fighting in the area," it said, underlining that over 50 other people, including MSF staff, are in nearby buildings, with a wounded person needing medical attention.

Additionally, four MSF cars were burned down and a fifth car, parked across the street, was broken in two pieces as if crushed by a heavy-duty vehicle or a tank, according to the MSF.

It said that all the cars and the clinic were clearly identified with the MSF logo.

The destroyed cars are the same ones that were used in the aborted evacuation of MSF staff and their relatives on Saturday – which resulted in the killing of one family member, the charity said. "The cars were the only means of transport our staff and their families had to facilitate their evacuation."

Since Israel started bombing the Gaza Strip after a surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is put at 1,200, according to official figures.