MSF’s Team See Risk of Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank

MSF Advocacy Manager on a field visit to Kisan village, where the Ubayat family’s 250 m² home was demolished by Israeli forces.

MSF’s Team See Risk of Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank

MSF Advocacy Manager and an MSF translator on a field visit to Kisan village, where recent settler violence forced 23 families to flee their homes.
MSF Advocacy Manager and an MSF translator on a field visit to Kisan village, where recent settler violence forced 23 families to flee their homes.
  • Our teams in the West Bank are witnessing policies and practices that are designed to remove Palestinians from their land.
  • These policies and practices include forcible displacement, destruction of homes, impunity for settler violence, movement restrictions, and more.
  • We urge third-party states to apply meaningful pressure on Israel to halt practices that displace Palestinians from their land.

Jerusalem – Palestinians are facing forced mass displacement across the West Bank, Palestine, by Israeli forces and settlers, significantly heightening the risk of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territory, warns Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). 

More than at any point in our 36-year history of providing medical and psychological care in Palestine, MSF sees how the suffering wrought by the Israeli occupation has become normalised.

During 2025, MSF teams have witnessed policies and practices that are blatantly designed to remove people from their land and prevent any possibility of return. MSF urges third-party states, especially those with close political, military, or economic ties to Israel — including the US and European Union member states — to apply meaningful pressure to halt practices that harm and forcibly displace Palestinians, and to ensure an end to the occupation, which is illegal under international law.

“Over the past few years, we have seen the impact of the Israeli forces and settlers exerting increased force and control over the Palestinian people – culminating in a genocide in Gaza, and military repression and settler violence escalating across the West Bank,” says Simona Onidi, MSF project coordinator in Jenin and Tulkarem. 

Over the past few years, we have seen the impact of the Israeli forces and settlers exerting increased force and control over the Palestinian people – culminating in a genocide in Gaza, and military repression and settler violence escalating across the West Bank.
Simona Onidi, MSF project coordinator in Jenin and Tulkarem

“These actions are entrenched in the broader settler-colonial process, where the risk of ethnic cleansing — through the forced removal of Palestinian communities — will cement permanent demographic change,” says Onidi.

Tactics of displacement are expanding and intensifying

The recently approved E1 settlement plan would completely bisect the West Bank, block off the north from the south, and separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank.1 This is one of the clearest recent attempts by the Israeli authorities to kill any prospect of a Palestinian future.

Militarised operations have displaced tens of thousands

Since the beginning of the year, the ongoing Israeli Iron Wall military operation has forcibly displaced 40,000 people in the northern West Bank, according to UNRWA. Three refugee camps have been violently raided and emptied. Homes and civilian infrastructure — including schools and healthcare centres —have been demolished, increasing the likelihood that the displacement will become permanent.

When the military operation began, MSF sent mobile medical teams across 42 sites in Tulkarem and Jenin, including to Ministry of Health clinics, and delivered key relief items to displaced Palestinians.

Israeli forces destroy Palestinian homes

Since January 2023, a further 6,450 Palestinians have been displaced in the north of the West Bank due to home demolitions. In April and May 2025 alone, MSF provided material and mental health support to residents in 12 locations in the Hebron governorate whose homes were demolished. Two hundred forty-six people, including at least 97 children, were forcibly displaced.

This represents only a fraction of the number of demolitions that have been carried out in the West Bank in the same period.

“This is not the first demolition or army incursion that has happened in the village, but this time was the most aggressive,” says Warda*, a community member in Hebron. “We asked them if we could retrieve our belongings and take some things out of the houses before they demolished them, but they refused. They took our things out of our home, they drove over them with the bulldozer and destroyed them.”  

We asked them if we could retrieve our belongings and take some things out of the houses before they demolished them, but they refused. They took our things out of our home, they drove over them with the bulldozer and destroyed them.
A community member in Hebron

Settler violence continues with impunity
 
Settler attacks, often carried out with total impunity and under army protection, are also causing increasing levels of displacement. Since the beginning of 2023, nearly 2,900 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence and movement restrictions blocking Palestinians from essential services.3 Since June 2025, most of the villages in Masafer Yatta have faced daily settler attacks and military searches.

In an assessment carried out among 197 households in Hebron governorate between April and May 2025, MSF found that households with at least one member exposed to violence were 2.3 times more likely to exhibit severe mental distress. We also had 28.1% of families report that at least one member had experienced violence in the past three months.  

Increased movement restrictions block access to healthcare, school, and work

Palestinians in the West Bank are also subjected to overwhelming physical barriers designed to make life unviable and push them from their lands. These include movement restrictions, such as checkpoints which have increased in number. From December 2024 to February 2025, 36 new checkpoints were introduced. Temporary checkpoints, which can appear unpredictably, have also increased – from 116 between October and December 2023 to 370 between January and April 2025. These restrictions are directly impacting people’s access to healthcare, schools, work, and other essential services. As a result, many patients are turning to MSF mobile clinics rather than attempting to reach hospitals, even when specialised care is needed.

Attacks on water endanger entire communities

Palestinians in the West Bank face severe limitations on basic services, including water—access to which is controlled by the Israeli authorities. Since May 2025, there has been a substantial reduction in the water supply by an Israeli water company through two main Israeli pipeline connection points to Hebron governorate, which has reduced the public water supply in Hebron by more than 50 per cent, affecting nearly 800,000 people.4 

MSF has also responded to reports of settlers cutting water pipes — including confirmed incidents in August 2025, such as in a village in South Hebron Hills, where 50 per cent of the community was impacted by water shortage. The need in these areas is now so high and widespread that MSF’s emergency water and sanitation activities are no longer sufficient. Our teams have delivered 30 water tanks to families in South Hebron Hills to help store the limited trucked water they rely on.

Loss of land, work permits, and freedom of movement is destroying Palestinian livelihoods

Palestinians’ livelihoods are also increasingly threatened by the cancellation of work permits, movement restrictions that block access to jobs, and attacks on agricultural land and shepherds, further undermining their ability to sustain themselves.

“It’s not only about demolishing our houses,” says a community member in Masafer Yatta. “They also take our land, they try to steal our income and make it impossible for us to live here. All the people here live from farming and shepherding activities. But the settlers prevent us from grazing our sheep, so that we can’t make a living anymore if we stay here.”

Israel’s annexation-driven policies in the occupied West Bank constitute serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. An end to the occupation remains the only path to alleviating the profound hardship faced by Palestinians.

 

*Name changed.

 
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Yemen: MSF Hands Over Taiz Houban Mother & Child Hospital

main door of MSF’s Mother and Child hospital in Houban

Yemen: MSF Hands Over Taiz Houban Mother & Child Hospital

Since 2015, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has operated the mother and child hospital in Al-Houban, Taiz governorate — one of the few facilities providing free, high-quality healthcare in a region deeply affected by more than a decade-long conflict. At the end of July 2025, after 10 years of service, MSF officially handed over the hospital to the Ministry of Health (MoH). Just before the handover, patients and the hospital equipment were moved to the new premises, jointly built by MSF and the MoH.

Reflections on the Handover

“After offering various medical services for over a million patients in our mother and child hospital in Taiz Houban over the past 10 years, we are handing over this facility to the Ministry of Health, fully staffed by well-trained professionals and equipped. At the same time, I find it very emotional to leave, after spending three years in this beautiful and challenging country with its incredible people”, said Tila Muhammad, MSF country director, based in Sanaa.

Aida Mohamed, counsellor

Why the Handover Happened

Although the handover decision comes amid a challenging humanitarian landscape, including recent reductions in global aid, suspension of USAID funding and regional tensions – which have all further strained the health systems in Yemen – the handover was envisioned years ago. Namely, the transition itself started when MSF decided to work in co-management with the MoH.

Beginning the Intervention in 2015

When MSF started the intervention in Taiz Houban, in 2015, the area was identified as one of the most underserved in Taiz.

“Since the opening we have been providing essential healthcare, emergency services for children under five, comprehensive maternity care including C-sections, treatment for malnutrition and more. We have also responded to outbreaks, supported complicated pregnancies and offered lifesaving referrals, as well as trauma care due to the conflict. Over the years, the 168-bed hospital evolved into a full-scale general hospital offering critical care to the local population,” says Allan Silver Emuna, MSF Hospital Director.

Mental health counselor Amin Al-Badri

The Impact of MSF’s Work

The impact of MSF’s intervention in Taiz Houban over the past decade is significant: MSF treated some 185,000 children under five years old in our ambulances, while over 200,000 were admitted to the emergency room. MSF staff assisted 67,000 deliveries and offered post-natal care for 133,000 patients. We treated 13,846 children and babies for malnutrition, performed over 10,000 surgical interventions, while admitting 32,165 children to pediatric and neonatal wards. In total, over a million patients received treatment in Taiz Houban hospital over the past 10 years.

Reaching Patients Across Taiz

With a population of around 940,000 people in Taiz City and surrounding areas, patients often travelled long distances to reach the hospital as, for many of them, it was the only place they could access healthcare.

Community Bonds and Challenges

Abrar Mohammed, MSF health promotion supervisor, has worked in the hospital since the beginning. She explains the bond built between the community and MSF over the years: “Overall, the community has a great respect and appreciation towards the hospital, as it is the only facility providing free of charge services, related to mother and child health care, although, sometimes there is also frustration within the community, as it doesn’t cover all the health needs of the local community. In private hospitals in Taiz Houban, a basic c-section can cost up to 1,000 USD, which is ten times the average monthly salary, if you have a job.”

Ensuring a Smooth Transition

In addition to co-building the new hospital, MSF will support the authorities with incentives for the hospital staff, medicines and other relevant goods and supplies necessary for the normal operation of the Taiz Houban hospital for the next six months. This will ensure a proper handover and continuation of services for the local community.

Triage area at MSF’s Mother and Child hospital in Houban

MSF’s Ongoing Commitment in Yemen

MSF is not leaving Yemen or its people. MSF remains present in the country and offers healthcare services to the people in ten out of 22 governorates.

A Longstanding Presence

MSF has been working in Yemen since 1986 and has maintained a continuous presence in the country since 2007. Years of conflict have decimated Yemen’s public infrastructure, while millions of people lack access to clean water, food and medical care. MSF’s work in Yemen and around the world is guided solely by medical needs and carried out without influence from political, religious, or economic agendas. This is made possible by our independent funding — over 95 per cent of which comes from private donors, allowing us to assess needs freely, access communities and directly deliver the assistance we provide.

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MSF International Activity Report 2024

Gazan Patients in MSF Amman hospital

MSF International Activity Report 2024

By Dr Christos Christou, MSF International President and Christopher Lockyear, MSF Secretary General.
MSF response to IDPs in Barkin Ladi and Bokkos LGAs of Plateau state, Nigeria
MSF response to IDPs in Barkin Ladi and Bokkos LGAs of Plateau state, Nigeria

In each of the over 75 countries where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) delivered medical assistance in 2024, we saw people acting in solidarity for the principles of dignity and humanity. An operating theatre in Democratic Republic of Congo, a communal nutrition education session in Nigeria, and a demonstration demanding a pharmaceutical corporation in South Africa lowers its drug prices only work when people come together.

We are grateful to the people who came together in 2024 so that we could serve communities around the world. 

In July, we finished the largest ever consultation process within MSF to understand how we should evolve as a movement. This consultation drew on the expertise of our network of humanitarians to decide key priorities, such as enhancing our patient-centred approach to care and improving our internal collaboration, for the coming years. The work has already begun to turn this meaningful exchange into meaningful action, so we can become the MSF we want, and need, to be for the communities we serve.

During 2024, we transitioned from the Access Campaign, which campaigned for access to drugs and diagnostics, to a new organisational model for MSF’s work on improving access to products for healthcare. This new entity, MSF Access, will sit closer to our in-country operations, to better enable our increased ambition in improving access to medicines and products for healthcare.

Separated by thousands of kilometres, our teams working amid conflict in Sudan and Palestine saw grave violations of international humanitarian law (IHL). In both conflicts, people were confronted with unrelenting onslaught; children were starved through blockades, bombs were dropped on civilian populated areas, and bullets were fired into hospitals. Instead of using IHL as a framework to limit their barbarity in war, we saw indifference and apathy from conflict parties and their backers to these treaties in many conflicts around the world. 

In both conflicts, people were confronted with unrelenting onslaught; children were starved through blockades, bombs were dropped on civilian populated areas, and bullets were fired into hospitals.
Dr Christos Christou, MSF International President & Christopher Lockyear, MSF Secretary General
Al Aqsa Hospital
Al Aqsa Hospital

Our principles call upon us to face extraordinary challenges. One such growing threat is antimicrobial resistance; as microbes adapt to ensure their own survival, we are now faced with a growing rate of drug-resistant infections globally. Taking antimicrobial resistance as the serious risk that it is – one that could make simple cuts and once treatable diseases deadly – we expanded our antimicrobial stewardship programmes in 2024. In Chad, Eswatini, Iran, and Syria, we began training medical staff on the use of antibiotics and infection, prevention, and control measures. By the end of the year, we were running antimicrobial resistance stewardship programmes across 42 countries.

MSF works in an ecosystem of humanitarian organisations, all with the common goal of assisting people in need. And we were heartened to see a unified humanitarian response opposing Israel’s attempts to dismantle and impede the work of UNRWA, the largest distributor of aid and provider of healthcare in Gaza. As the humanitarian community as a whole is increasingly prevented from delivering aid impartially and in line with fundamental humanitarian principles, we need to continually confront governments with their commitments to IHL, pressuring them to support the humanitarian community in bringing a lifeline to Gazans.  

The dedication of our staff, the trust of our patients, and the support of our private donors mean that MSF provides relief to whomever needs it.
Dr Christos Christou, MSF International President & Christopher Lockyear, MSF Secretary General
Collective Shelter for IDPs in Saida, South Lebanon
Collective Shelter for IDPs in Saida, South Lebanon

The dedication of our staff, the trust of our patients, and the support of our private donors mean that MSF provides relief to whomever needs it. We can participate in the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza that made international headlines, as well as vaccinate children against measles more quietly in Somalia and Afghanistan. These concurrent actions are made possible because of the millions of people who donate to MSF. Together, we hold a belief that children deserve to be safe from preventable diseases, and together, we act on this belief.

As we face this critical moment for humanitarianism, when global solidarity is waning, as seen in widespread funding cuts to other organisations, we want to share with you our deep appreciation for remaining committed to humanitarianism with us. Behind every IV placed in a cholera ward, each mosquito net distributed to displaced families, and every pill dispensed to treat tuberculosis, is a movement of people, supported by millions, and acting together in solidarity for our shared principles.

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Civilians Shot at Water Distribution Point in Gaza

An MSF water truck provides a critical source of clean drinking water.

Civilians Shot at Water Distribution Point in Gaza

“On August 23, heavy gunfire broke out while people, including children, were gathered around one of MSF’s water-trucking distribution points in Khan Younis. In the chaos of the moment, it was not clear where these intense and consecutive bursts of gunshots were fired from.  

A young girl waiting for water at the truck was shot in the ribs and evacuated by ambulance to Nasser hospital – this is the same hospital targeted by Israeli forces in yesterday’s attacks. Another man was shot in the hand. The rest of the crowd, including two MSF staff, managed to take cover under the truck. People should not have to risk their lives for water. We have repeatedly denounced this pervasive disregard for all human life in Gaza, and all necessities like water required to sustain human life 

This incident comes just two days after we released a video highlighting how people in Gaza are being deliberately deprived of water, clearly encapsulating that message. People are being blocked from accessing water – this time nearly paying with their lives. 

The truck was clearly marked with the MSF logo and identifiable as a humanitarian vehicle. Despite this, the windshield, water tanks and tyres were hit during the shooting, which continued for more than 30 minutes. Similarly, nearby tented structures housing displaced people who had gathered for the distribution also sustained damage from the multiple sprays of bullets.  

As with food, fuel and medical supplies, the Israeli military is restricting access to water to deadly levels. We continue to witness the devastating, man-made, and inhumane medical consequences of too little water for too many people, and the chaos that this calculated scarcity creates. 

Now, life-threatening conditions are being created for people trying to access the small amount of water authorised by Israeli authorities into the Strip — water that is essential for survival. We cannot accept the risk of our water-trucking distribution sites becoming massacre sites, and due to this violent incident, water distribution was immediately suspended to protect staff and communities, further reducing its already limited availability. 

All parties must facilitate the safe conditions required to distribute water.” – Helen Ottens-Patterson, MSF’s Head of Mission in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 

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Adapting to Life in Kutapalong: A Rohingya Photo Story

Life in the camps photo essay

Adapting to Life in Kutapalong: A Rohingya Photo Story

المصور الصحفي الروهينجي، ساهات ضياء هيرو، والمصور الأسترالي، فيكتور كارينجال
Rohingya photojournalist Zia Sahat and MSF Australia photograpgher Victor Caringal

In June 2025, Rohingya photojournalist, Sahat Zia Hero, and Australian photographer, Victor Caringal, worked together to produce a series of photographs that showed how the Rohingya have adapted to daily life in the Kutapalong refugee camps in Bangladesh. This photo series is part of the taro leaf project, an advocacy project that uses the taro leaf as a symbol to tell the story of Rohingya statelessness.

Eight years ago, more than 700,000 Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh, fleeing a targeted campaign of extreme violence at the hands of Myanmar’s military.

Zia and Victor reflect on this collaborative work:

Zia: “Photographing together was really nice. The topic we chose was ‘making a mark’ because our ‘mark’, our identity, our culture and history is being erased. And we have the other challenges of life in the camps – lack of access to education, opportunities for livelihood, healthcare and many things. So we’re trying to make a mark through our art, drawing, poetry, and photography, to keep our culture alive, to keep our identity alive and to remind us who we are. We don’t want to be forgotten.”

Victor: “It was a privilege to walk through the camps with Zia. We spent a day photographing, yet only covered a fraction of the city-sized mega camp. But that short time was rich with stories and life, which I hope translates through in the images we’ve chosen.”

The accompanying text to these photos is from Zia and Victor.

A lone Rohingya man walks through the Kutapalong refugee camps.

© Victor Caringal

In 2017, large forest areas were cleared to make way for shelters as more than 700,000 Rohingya fled violence in Myanmar and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. Some of the foliage has now regrown, providing much needed shade in the heat of the densely populated camps, but it also marks eight years of separation from their homeland that the Rohingya have faced.

We picked this image to show the densely packed setting of the camp shelters. The camps are overwhelmingly large, but at the same time, enclosed, restricted and overbearing. Zia notes that the beautiful greenery and regrowth is in stark contrast to the poor conditions of the temporary shelters that Rohingya live in.

 

 

 

 

A Rohingya woman walks into MSF’s Balukhali clinic in Kutapalong refugee camp, Bangaldesh.

© Victor Caringal

This image reminded us of conversations we had about Rohingya unable to leave their mark or legacy in the world. The woman walks through the camp with traceless steps, battered by rain. The rain is suspended, like how Rohingya feel about their situation, like their lives are on pause.

 

 

 

 

 

A man repairs his shelter in the Kutapalong camps.

© Victor Caringal

We spotted this man repairing his shelter while walking through the narrow streets of the camps. He appeared impressively strong, carrying out repairs to the temporary bamboo shelter that protects his family during monsoonal storms. It’s a type of strength and resilience that’s easy to photograph, but what this man represented for me, is how I see all Rohingya – a people who have to be strong to survive, to carry more emotional weight than anyone should ever have to carry.

 

 

 

 

Shelter on an unstable slope.

© Zia Sahat Hero

Escalated violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has led to the recent arrival of more Rohingya seeking safety in Bangladesh. With little remaining space in the densely populated camps, these Rohingya built their shelter on an area of land prone to landslides. Their new home is far smaller than the one they left behind.

A Rohingya girl studies in her shelter.

© Zia Sahat Hero

Recent aid cuts have left learning centres closed and contracts terminated for 1179 local teachers within the camps. Education  is one of the few opportunities Rohingya youth have to improve their situation.

We chose this image because it showed the fragility and hope of young Rohingya and how decisions made today will have a ripple effect on future generations.

Childrens play and imagination.

© Zia Sahat Hero

Children’s play and imagination create moments of relief from daily challenges in the camps. Their vision of a better future are not only expressions of hope but also a way to manage and process the difficult realities around them.

While we walked through the camps, we saw that children were everywhere – laughing, playing, and sometimes being scolded. They brought life to the camps and pockets of joy. Zia noted that the reason there were so many kids was because of the school closures from aid cuts.

 

 

 

 

A child overlooks the camps from an eroded hill top.

© Zia Sahat Hero

We selected this image to share the threat of landslides that occurs from monsoonal rain and flooding, and the eroded soil in the camps. Originally there were shelters built here, but these were lost in a landslide. The area now remains precarious and unoccupied, despite the child standing and smiling from the top of the hill. 

 

 

 

 

Rayhana Rohingya food stall owner in her shelter.

© Zia Sahat Hero

I was impressed to see how much food Rayhana was able to prepare within the tight quarters of a shelter kitchen space. Rayhana opened a small food stall in the camps to financially support her family. While there is a food ration in place, it’s currently at US$10 a month per person, which is far below what’s needed to survive in the camps, and the reduction of aid means lower amounts in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

A young child seen through the tarpaulin.

© Zia Sahat Hero

We picked this pairing of images as they visually speak to a feeling of enclosure, a sentiment that many Rohingya in the camps talk about while living behind wired fences of the camps.

 

 

 

 

A chicken in a makeshift coup in front of a makeshift shelter.

© Victor Caringal

Farming was an integral part of Rohingya life during Zia’s childhood. In the dense camps where people have no permanent home, land or space, it is rare for people to raise livestock or grow enough vegetables to make a living or survive from.

 

 

 

 

 

A daily worker prepares bamboo materials for building and repairing shelters.

© Zia Sahat Hero

Zia explained that bamboo was a traditional building material in Rohingya culture. In this picture, the bamboo looks fresh and green, but the quality of this bamboo is lower than what Rohingya would use for their homes and structures in Arakan.

 

 

 

 

A bridge crossing separates camp districts in Kutapalong refugee camp.

© Victor Caringal

We watched as people crossed the bamboo bridge: two girls taking careful steps, two boys racing to the top, backflipping into the water. Zia had taken photos of this crossing over the eight years he’d been in the camps. A wider bridge was once in place, but it eroded and was swept away over multiple flood seasons. While it looks precarious, the new bridge provides an important access route between the neighbouring camps.

 

 

 

 

 

A man is transported to a health facility.

© Zia Sahat Hero

NGO workers and foreign visitors typically travel to the camps via arterial roads. But deep inside the camps, the throughways become much tighter, and Zia explained that many parts are only accessible on foot. When a medical need arises, people need to be carried to the nearest hospital, a difficult journey which can take hours away in monsoonal conditions.

"I want the world to know that Rohingya people are human beings. We exist. We deserve peace, knowledge, and dignity — just like everyone else.” Sahat Zia Hero.

Israel Starving Palestinians of Water in Gaza

A little boy struggles under the weight of a water jerrycan to bring it back to his displaced family's tent

Israel Starving Palestinians of Water in Gaza

Jerusalem, 21 August – Israel is deliberately depriving people of water in Gaza as part of its genocidal campaign – denying Palestinians of life’s necessities, including food, water and healthcare – says Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). After 22 months of Israel destroying and restricting access to critical water infrastructure, the amount of water available in Gaza is wholly insufficient. Organisations like MSF would be able to increase the amount of safe water in the Strip, however, Israel is blocking imports of critical water treatment items. Since June 2024, for every 10 import requests of items for water desalination, MSF has had only one approved.

An MSF water truck provides a critical source of clean drinking water.

Gaza faces catastrophic water shortages under Israeli blockade

Israel must begin allowing the importation of critical equipment for water supply and distribution, at scale. The Israeli military must stop its destruction of water infrastructure and allow the immediate repair of water systems that have been damaged to ensure people have life-sustaining access to water.  Water and other necessities of life must not be used as weapons of war.

Not only is there insufficient water overall for people in Gaza, but the reliance on water trucking means they do not have predictable methods to obtain what is available. Eighty six percent of Gaza is under forced displacement order by the Israeli military, making it unsafe for water trucks to attempt to reach people in those areas. The lack of adequate storage methods in households compounds the problems people face.

Water scarcity in Gaza fuels disease and endangers public health

Diarrhoea and skin diseases rise as clean water runs out

The reduction of clean water in Gaza has resulted in an increase of disease, with MSF medical teams conducting over 1,000 consultations for acute watery diarrhoea a week for the past month. Without sufficient water for hygiene, people have been suffering from skin conditions, such as scabies.

Not only is there insufficient water overall for people in Gaza, but the reliance on water trucking means they do not have predictable methods to obtain what is available. Eighty six percent of Gaza is under forced displacement order by the Israeli military, making it unsafe for water trucks to attempt to reach people in those areas. The lack of adequate storage methods in households compounds the problems people face.

Hospitals struggle without safe water for patients and infection control

Clean water is also essential for hospitals; to reduce the spread of infection and to keep patients hydrated so their bodies can heal from their injuries and illnesses.

“There’s too little water for too many people,” says Mohammed Nsier, a water and sanitation officer for MSF in Gaza. “The amount we can provide is very small compared to the need, and conditions are extremely difficult.”

Palestinians wait with worn-out containers to fill them from a truck.

Critical water infrastructure destroyed and blocked from repair

Israel is creating difficult conditions for the delivery of safe water to people. It has always controlled much of the flow of water into Gaza. There is no naturally available drinking water in Gaza because of salination and contamination of sewage and chemicals, making people reliant on pipelines coming from Israel and desalination plants in Gaza. This infrastructure has been subjected to continuous Israeli attacks.


Israel has repeatedly damaged two out of the three water pipelines into Gaza since October 2023. It is estimated that 70 per cent of the water that goes through these pipes is lost because of leaks in the broader pipeline network, from the damage caused by bombardment. As a result, water must be distributed by water trucking, coming from desalination plants. Of the 196 desalination plants that are publicly- and NGO-run, over 60 per cent are non-functional because of their location or damage.

Humanitarian organisations are willing to repair the damaged pipes and plants of the water infrastructure that existed before October 2023, but Israel has repeatedly hindered these efforts by denying access to these sites. For locations that are reachable, repair efforts use “Frankenstein” techniques, salvaging parts from one generator or broken sites to fix another, and desperate attempts to source parts locally. Such actions are necessary as the supplies required to repair this infrastructure are impeded from entering Gaza by Israel. When items do come in, they arrive months late because of deliberate blockages.

Seven MSF water treatment units produce enough water for 65,000 people to receive 7.5 litres per day[1], a fraction of what is needed. For months, MSF has been trying to get nine new treatment units into Gaza – which would significantly increase MSF’s water production capacity – but these efforts have remained unsuccessful as Israel has not issued approvals or allowed the units to enter Gaza.

1 7.5 litres is the minimum amount of water a person needs per day during a humanitarian emergency, according to the WHO: Water Sanitation and Health

MSF logistics manager Mahmoud Abu Nada supervises a water distribution in Gaza City

Dangerous and limited access to water distribution points in Gaza

When water trucks can reach desalination plants, the next step of distributing it to people also means contending with major obstacles. Reaching people safely is near impossible, as the expansion of military activities and bombardments in so-called safe zones mean distribution points have to be continually re-located. In 2025, MSF has had to stop providing water at at least 137 water distribution points. To reach distributions, people must walk long distances carrying their heavy jerry cans.

Displacement and bombardment force families into long walks for water

“You see how people are struggling, everyone is desperate for water,” says a woman waiting for an MSF distribution in Gaza city. “Honestly, [it’s] very, very hard to get water, even walking a little bit is very difficult. I don’t know what to tell you—it’s torture.”

Children at risk as families lose track during chaotic distributions

The dangers of collecting water are compounded by its limitation, with the scarcity creating tension at distributions. People have told MSF staff that they fear collecting water.  Our teams see children who get lost after a distribution site has been forced to move by a displacement order or an airstrike, or because extensive damage has made their surroundings unrecognisable.

Children wait beside their empty jerrycans for a water truck to arrive in Gaza city.

Israel must stop using water as a weapon of war

“As with food, supplies, and healthcare, the Israeli military is restricting access to water to minimal levels,” says Ozan Agbas, MSF emergency manager. “By refraining from cutting off water entirely, they allow plausible deniability while choking Palestinians of their means of survival.”

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From Trauma to Healing: MSF Helps Torture Survivors in Syria

Soha torture victim in syria, animation

From Trauma to Healing: MSF Helps Torture Survivors in Syria

In Syria’s prisons and security branches, the darkness of the unknown overpowered the darkness of detention cells. During nearly 14 years of war, arbitrary arrests grew more common, with many people held in custody without trial or investigation. Many survivors suffer from physical injuries, psychological trauma, and chronic health conditions due to these years of systematic abuse, torture, and neglect. 

torture victims in syria, animation

Torture in Syria’s prisons leaves deep physical and psychological scars

Survivors speak of arbitrary arrests and years of abuse

“I was taken to solitary confinement while my daughters were locked in another cell. I knew nothing about them,” says Suha*, a 50-year-old woman who was detained in 2018 without charge and held for six years. “I didn’t care about the beatings I took, hoping that when the beating stopped, I would find out the fate of my daughters.” 

Suha*, like hundreds of prisoners and detainees, gained her freedom when chains were broken and the gates of prisons were opened upon the fall of the former Syrian government in Syria in December 2024. Many of them spent years in detention under very harsh conditions, deprived of proper food and sometimes medical care, and exposed to endless cycles of physical and psychological ill treatment, as reported to MSF medical and mental health teams. 

MSF launches medical and mental health support for torture survivors in Syria

Comprehensive care: medical, psychosocial, and social work service

In response to the huge medical and mental health needs, MSF teams launched a program for survivors of ill treatment in Syria. The program was piloted in MSF’s existing project in Idlib governorate. MSF then opened a dedicated clinic in Damascus, located inside Al-Mujtahid hospital, later introducing the program in Kafr Batna in Eastern Ghouta, where most of our patients come from. The area was historically an opposition area and was besieged and heavily bombarded. 

The clinic for survivors of ill treatment program offers general medical consultations with referrals to secondary and tertiary care, psychosocial support, and social work services which link patients to non-medical assistance through local organisations and associations offering support beyond the scope of MSF’s services.

victims being tortured in Syria's prison

Psychological trauma from detention hinders reintegration in Syrian society

Women and children survivors face additional barriers to care

“The mental health ramifications of detainment in Syria are quite alarming,” says Laura Guardiola, MSF Project Medical Referent in Damascus. “Being detained under unimaginable conditions of ill treatment that amount to physical and psychological torture has left deep and lasting wounds on former detainees and prisoners: wounds that require time, support, and care to begin healing.” 

MSF is also working on reaching more women as the very low number of female patients in our cohort is worrying, and even fewer children are seeking treatment. Less than 15 per cent of the consultations were with a female patient in the first two months of the clinic’s activities in Damascus. Several female former detainees have survived sexual violence during detention, which might prevent them from seeking support, mainly due to stigma.

While people left the places where they were detained to a new reality, they are still living in the same country, and they are reminded of their horrific experiences in their daily lives, which makes reintegration in society very challenging. Suha*talks about how she will never forget the Mezzeh tunnel in Damascus, which is where she realised she was not going to be returned to her home unharmed and will always be reminded of her experiences when she passes through it.  

Soha's daughter being tortured in Syria's prisons

Healing journeys: survivors rebuild their lives after torture in Syria

“That tunnel absolutely had no light at its end,” she says. “I often think of revenge. Abnormal reactions to normal actions have become my norm. I do not want feelings of hatred and bitterness to overcome me. It hurts me and not other people. I would like to rid myself of all that my experience left in me.” 

Suha* is one of 113 patients in the survivors of ill treatment program MSF runs through the clinic and the same services are offered in two other MSF projects. She is following up with our survivors of ill treatment team, and though there will be a long road ahead she is beginning her healing journey bit by bit. Our team believes her strong will to live, though shaken during her detention, never went away, and she is restarting her life for the sake of her daughters. 

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Al-Ubor Health Center Provides Vital Care in West Mosul, Iraq

Women gather at Al-Ubor clinic for a health education session led by MSF staff, focusing on pregnancy care and maternal health — empowering women with knowledge to make informed choices.

Al-Ubor Health Center Provides Vital Care in West Mosul, Iraq

AL-UBOR, MOSUL – In a corner of west Mosul in Iraq, an area often overlooked by public services, Al-Ubor health center stands as a vital sanctuary for families seeking access to essential healthcare. Since its opening in July 2023, the center has been a lifeline for many in Al-Ubor, where approximately 30,000 people that face challenges in accessing healthcare.

We’ve been coming here for two years for mental health, family planning, everything. My husband has a spinal cord injury and can’t work. The services here are free. My neighbors told me about the center. We walk half an hour to get here.
Basha’er Ahmed, a Longtime Patient

A critical lifeline in a neglected area

Al-Ubor is a densely populated and underserved area in west Mosul, where residents face daily challenges due to pollution, limited mobility, and a severe lack of public services—including access to affordable healthcare. Limited access to other public health services and other constraints in people’s lives make the population of Al-Ubor vulnerable and susceptible to illnesses and certain health conditions. “In Al-Ubor, water comes every five days,” adds Basha’er. “There are no clinics or schools, and kids walk far to attend class. We’ve seen cases of scabies spread quickly because there’s no sanitation.”

In this context, Al-Ubor health center helps bridge a critical gap, offering essential care to families who might otherwise go without. For many in the area, this center is one of the few places they can access essential care without financial constraints.

Checking blood pressure of a pregnant woman at Al-Ubor clinic, Mosul

Meeting urgent needs with practical solutions

Al-Ubor health center caters to children and adolescents, girls aged six months to 19 years and boys up to 14, offering general consultations and first-line care. For severe cases, an ambulance is available to transfer patients to other health centers in the city. Medicines are provided on-site when in stock, and when unavailable, the MSF team ensures families are guided to alternatives.

The demand for care is not limited to basic illnesses. Families come here as well for a wider range of maternal and reproductive health services.

Before MSF’s intervention, many residents struggled to reach healthcare due to distance, lack of transportation, unpaved roads, and the absence of local facilities. In emergencies, delays and obstacles—even at checkpoints—could have life-threatening consequence.
Israa Al-Hassan, MSF Health Promotion Supervisor
A medical staff member examines a child’s mouth at Al-Ubor clinic during a routine check-up.

Reaching the unvaccinated

“My husband and I live with my in-laws; we come here because it’s free,” says Doha Ghazi, a 19-year-old mother from Al-Ubor, as she waits to vaccinate her child.

In response to community needs, Al-Ubor health center launched a child vaccination program in April 2025 in partnership with Nineveh Directorate of Health . Every Tuesday and Wednesday, between 10 to 40 children are vaccinated, many of whom missed their early doses due to long travel distances, financial constraints, or distrust in vaccine handling. In just under three months, 764 vaccines were administered, including 240 in June alone. The vaccines protect against tuberculosis, measles, smallpox, polio, and whooping cough.

“My older daughter was vaccinated here too,” explains Shaza Youssef, a young mother of two, while holding her 20-day-old baby, “That’s why I brought the new baby.”

Support through pregnancy and beyond

Without this center, people wouldn’t have access to care — and that includes family planning services among other health services. The center also provides essential care for women throughout pregnancy and after childbirth, including ultrasounds, infection testing, tetanus vaccinations, and routine monitoring. Women also receive follow-up care for up to 40 days postpartum to support their recovery and well-being.

Other family planning services include intrauterine devices (IUD) and contraceptive implants for women who otherwise might have no access to such options, with priority given to those with medical needs. While deliveries are not conducted at the center, MSF’s medical team ensures that pregnant women are referred to appropriate facilities in Mosul, such as the Nablus Hospital, where MSF continues to provide care, or other available options, while also ensuring continuity of care throughout their journey.

Child drawing at Al-Ubor Clinic, Mosul

Mental health and Awareness Building

Beyond physical care, MSF’s health promotion team raises awareness about mental health, dealing with puberty, hygiene, infectious diseases, and chronic issues like antimicrobial resistance, often worsened by unregulated use of antibiotics in poor communities. In addition to that, the MSF mental health team delivers psychosocial support to the patients there.

Al-Hassan recalled cases where mothers relied on unqualified neighborhood nurses, leading to misuse of antibiotics and worsening illness. Today, with MSF’s services and the numerous awareness sessions that the teams are doing, residents can access faster, higher-quality care, and misuse of antibiotics has significantly declined.

Looking Ahead

In a setting where public health services are scarce, Al-Ubor health center has become a trusted space, where children are vaccinated, mothers are supported, mental health is acknowledged, and community voices are heard.

Since we started working in Al-Ubor, we’ve seen healthier mothers and babies, better livelihoods, and a stronger sense of hope. People receive free, quality care without barriers, and the community feels safer and more confident about the future.
Pacific Oriato, Midwives Activity Manager
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War Fuels Sudan Cholera Outbreak: 2,300 cases, 40 deaths

MSF supported cholera treatment center, Nyala, South Darfur, Sudan

War Fuels Sudan Cholera Outbreak: 2,300 cases, 40 deaths

Port Sudan, 14 August –  On top of an all out war, people in Sudan are now experiencing the worst cholera outbreak the country has seen in years. First declared by the Ministry of Health one year ago, there has since been 99,700 suspected cases and more than 2,470 related deaths, as of 11 August. In Darfur region alone, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams treated over 2,300 patients and recorded 40 deaths in the past week for cholera, at facilities run by the Ministry of Health.

Across Darfur, cholera is hitting people who already struggled with water shortages that made it impossible to follow essential hygiene measures, such as washing dishes and food. The situation is most extreme in Tawila, North Darfur state, where 380,000 people have fled to escape ongoing fighting around the city of El Fasher, according to the United Nations. By the end of July, after one month of responding, MSF teams treated over 2,300 cholera patients in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Tawila. The cholera treatment centre at Tawila Hospital, officially equipped with 130 beds, had to accommodate 400 patients during the first week of August, overwhelming the facility and forcing staff to add extra mattresses on the floor to cope.

Internally displaced people gathered in an old school in Dali camp, Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan.
Internally displaced people gathered in an old school in Dali camp, Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan.

In Tawila, people survive with an average of just three litres of water per day, which is less than half the emergency minimum threshold of 7.5 litres needed per person per day for drinking, cooking, and hygiene, as stipulated by the WHO. As cholera cases rise and resources run out, clean water and sanitation services are urgently needed to prevent more deaths.

In displacement and refugee camps, families often have no choice but to drink from contaminated sources and many contract cholera. Just two weeks ago, a body was found in a well inside one of the camps. It was removed, but within two days, people were forced to drink from that same water again.
Sylvain Penicaud, MSF Project Coordinator in Tawila

Cholera outbreak spreads rapidly across Sudan amid conflict

About 100 kilometres from Tawila, cholera was reported in Golo, Central Darfur state, on 13 July. MSF opened a 73-bed cholera treatment centre in Golo hospital. This centre was quickly overwhelmed, with 137 patients arriving on 3 August alone. Five oral rehydration points were set up around Golo to manage mild cases and prevent deterioration, but our teams see that the outbreak is still spreading fast. In early August, cholera reached Zalingei and Rokero in Central Darfur state, and Sortony in North Darfur state.

Heavy rains are worsening the crisis by contaminating water and damaging sewage systems. Cases are continuing to rise in South Darfur state, as well, where MSF, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, has expanded the cholera treatment centre in Nyala to 80 beds. There, the response is waiting for vaccines and facing a severe shortage of water purification tablets.

The health centres are full, some areas have water, others have kiosks that are far or empty. Some water is salty, and we drink it unboiled, unsure if it’s safe.
Samia Dahab, a Resident of Otash Displacement Camp in Nyala
Dabanaira IDP camp, Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan
Dabanaira camp, one of the new camps in which internally displaced people have taken shelter after fleeing El Fasher. Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan.

MSF calls for urgent support to contain outbreak in Sudan

As people move around to flee fighting, cholera is spreading further, in Sudan and into neighbouring Chad and South Sudan. In Damazin, Blue Nile state, Sudan, MSF and the Ministry of Health expanded the Damazin hospital cholera treatment centre from 50 to 250 beds in July to cope with an influx of returnees from South Sudan. At this centre, our teams are seeing a deadly combination of cholera and malnutrition. Between 3 and 9 August, six cholera patients who died were also suffering from acute malnutrition.

The situation is beyond urgent, the outbreak is spreading well beyond displacement camps now, into multiple localities across Darfur states and beyond.
Tuna Turkmen, MSF’s Head of Mission in Sudan

“The international response must have an outbreak emergency coordination mechanism able to provide healthcare, improve water and sanitation services, and begin cholera vaccination campaigns in affected areas at a pace that matches the urgency this catastrophic situation requires,” says Turkmen. “Every day of delay costs lives. MSF stands ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and WHO to launch mass vaccination campaigns across Darfur. Survivors of war must not be left to die from a preventable disease.”

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Sudan: Attack & Suspension of Activity at Zalingei Hospital

Zalingei teaching hospital entrance Zalingei Cantral Darfur state Sudan

Sudan: Attack & Suspension of Activity at Zalingei Hospital

Sudan, Central Darfur, 18 August 2025 – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been forced to reduce its teams and suspend all activities at MSF supported hospital in Central Darfur state, Sudan, following a violent armed assault inside the facility on the night of 16 August. The attack left one person dead, and injured five others, including a Ministry of Health staff member. This suspension of medical activities comes during a deadly cholera outbreak. MSF cannot resume operations until all parties provide clear security guarantees to protect staff and patients.
Patients waiting area of the Zalingei teaching hospital Central Darfur state Sudan

The assault took place at Zalingei hospital on the night of 16 August, after a deceased person with a gunshot wound, reportedly from a looting incident in , was brought to the emergency room around 8:20pm. Armed relatives of the deceased forcefully entered the hospital. Soon after, another patient with gunshot injuries arrived, also accompanied by armed individuals. Tensions between the groups accompanying the patients escalated inside the facility, and at 10pm, a hand grenade was detonated in front of the emergency room, killing one person. Five others were injured, including one Ministry of Health medical staff.

One person has already lost his life in this explosion and more could have been killed if it had happened during the day, when the hospital was full of patients. Suspending our activities and evacuating our teams is a decision no medical organization wants to make, but our staff cannot risk their lives while providing care.
Marwan Taher, MSF’s Emergency Coordinator in Darfur

Zalingei hospital: the only referral facility for 500,000 people

Since 1 August, MSF had been leading a cholera emergency response at Zalingei hospital, treating 162 patients in just 16 days, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health. Cholera has already claimed seven lives, and Zalingei hospital is the only facility equipped to treat severe cases in Central Darfur state. MSF teams also supported the State Ministry of Health with surveillance to contain the outbreak. Beyond cholera, the hospital provided over 1,500 gynaecological consultations, 1,400 pediatric consultations, and 80 surgeries, between May and July 2025. As the only referral hospital serving around 500,000 people, it is the sole facility managing complex cases in the area. MSF’s mobile clinic in Fogodiku locality and community engagement and health promotion activities has also been suspended, leaving thousands without essential care.

Zalingei teaching hospital emergency department Central Darfur state Sudan

MSF calls for security guarantees to protect staff and patients in Sudan

For more than 40 years, MSF has been on the frontlines of Sudan’s major crises, from disease outbreaks to malnutrition peaks, and we continue to support communities through the ongoing conflict. Protecting our medical teams is essential to ensuring they can deliver care. Already in February 2024, armed men broke into Zalingei hospital and carjacked MSF rental vehicles, forcing the temporary withdrawal of our assessment team before activities even began. The 16 August assault marks the second major security incident in Zalingei hospital in one year and a half.

Attacks on hospitals and medical staff are unacceptable and put lives at risk. The presence of guns inside a medical facility makes it impossible for our teams to operate safely. Without clear guarantees from the concerned parties for the safety of both Ministry of Health and MSF staff, we cannot continue our work. People in Zalingei urgently need healthcare, and their access to it must be protected.
Marwan Taher, MSF’s Emergency Coordinator in Darfur
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