UN relief chief ‘appalled’ after Israeli airstrike in Gaza injures Doctors Without Borders staff, kills family members

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN relief chief voiced concern Wednesday about a deadly Israeli airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) shelter in the Gaza Strip.

"Appalled that a MSF shelter in Gaza was shelled last night, injuring staff and killing members of their family.

"I stand with them in their grief. Humanitarians are putting their lives on the line. Like all civilians, they must be protected," Martin Griffiths wrote on X.

His remarks came hours after Israeli forces attacked a shelter hosting staff and their families from the medical charity in Al Mawasi. The strike killed at least two family members and injured six others.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The ensuing response by Tel Aviv has killed 29,313 Palestinians and injured more than 69,000 others with mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while less than 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.