Israeli forces killed the second Doctors Without Borders (MSF) worker in Gaza in two weeks, bringing the total death toll to 11 since the war began 18 months ago.
According to MSF, Hussam Al-Loulu, 58, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday in southwest Deir Al-Balah alongside his wife and 28-year-old daughter, leaving behind two sons.
Al-Loulu joined MSF in December as a security guard at the organization’s emergency unit in Khan Younis.
“Our colleague Hussam was killed along with hundreds of others across the Gaza Strip since the resumption of attacks by Israeli forces on 18 March,” MSF said.
Last week, the regime killed another member of MSF, Alaa Abd-Elsalam Ali Okal, in his apartment building in Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza, during an airstrike.
On March 18, the Israeli regime resumed its genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, breaking a two-month-old ceasefire deal with the Hamas resistance movement.
At least 1,249 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel resumed large-scale strikes on the narrow Strip after abandoning the ceasefire. The number of people injured since the Israeli attacks restarted now stands at 3,022.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the overall death toll in Gaza has reached 50,609 since the war began on October 7, 2023. The number of people injured in Gaza since that date stands at 115,063.
‘Slow death’
The month-long total siege imposed by Israel has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, barring the entry of essential aid such as food, fuel, and medical supplies.
MSF has warned that the siege of Gaza means the majority of critical medications are in short supply or running out, putting Palestinians at risk of losing vital healthcare.
The Israeli regime’s continuation of the siege and bombardment of Gaza has deprived Palestinians of basic needs, including food, medicines, and water, which eventually leads to widespread deaths and health complications, MSF said.
“The Israeli authorities have condemned the people of Gaza to unbearable suffering with their deadly siege,” said Myriam Laaroussi, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza.
“This deliberate infliction of harm on people is like a slow death; it must end immediately,” she emphasized.
According to MSF, the siege has forced hospitals and medical centers to ration medications such as pain killers, provide less effective treatment, or turn patients away.
Hospitals and medical centers have run out of surgical supplies such as anesthetics, pediatric antibiotics, and medicines for chronic conditions like epilepsy, hypertension, and diabetes, MSF reports.
MSF has reiterated its call for a ceasefire agreement. “This bloodshed must stop,” MSF said.
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