Gaza Crisis Deepens as MSF Halts Work, UNRWA Warns of Starvation, and UNGA Sees Heated Debate

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has suspended its medical activities in Gaza City after Israeli attacks damaged its facilities and endangered staff, while international protests and a tense debate at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) underscored the worsening crisis.

According to Anadolu Agency, MSF said repeated Israeli bombardments had made it impossible to continue lifesaving services in Gaza City, stressing that hospitals and medical workers must be protected under international humanitarian law.

Adding to the alarm, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) revealed Friday that one in three children in Gaza had not eaten any food in the previous 24 hours due to severe shortages caused by Israel’s ongoing blockade. Based on an International Rescue Committee assessment, UNRWA said children were increasingly forced into labor or begging to survive, threatening their health, safety, and future. The agency appealed for an immediate ceasefire and urgent delivery of humanitarian aid, emphasizing that “Gaza’s children need a ceasefire now.”

Meanwhile, thousands of Muslims and activists rallied in Italy, demanding an end to what they called the “genocide in Gaza.” Demonstrators in Milan and Rome urged stronger international action to stop Israeli military operations and protect civilians.

At the UNGA, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address was met with walkouts by many delegates, according to Xinhua. Netanyahu criticized recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by France, Britain, Portugal, Australia, and Canada, saying it rewarded violence. He accused Palestinians of rejecting the two-state solution and reiterated Israel’s opposition to Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking via video a day earlier, said Palestinians had long recognized Israel’s right to exist but were enduring “a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement” in Gaza. He condemned the October 2023 Hamas attack, thanked countries that had recognized Palestine, and stressed that solidarity with the Palestinian cause must not be confused with antisemitism.

Earlier this month, the UNGA adopted a draft resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, outlining a pathway toward the two-state solution.