- Title: MSF accuses Israel of a "pattern of deliberate attacks on humanitarians" in Gaza
- Date: 4th April 2024
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (APRIL 4, 2024) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS MSF SIGN AND LOGO / SECRETARY GENERAL OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS / MEDECINS SANS PRONTIERE (MSF), CHRISTOPHER LOCKYEAR DURING NEWS CONFERENCE LOCKYEAR'S FACE NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRETARY GENERAL OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS / MEDECIN SANS PRONTIERE (MSF), CHRISTOPHER LOCKYEAR, SAYING: “Humanitarian workers are protected, no ifs, no buts. We do not accept the narrative of regrettable incidents. We do not accept it because what has happened to World Central Kitchen and MSF's convoys and shelters, is part of the same pattern of deliberate attacks on humanitarians, health workers, journalists, UN personnel, schools and homes. This is not just about implementing an effective deconfliction mechanism. Our movements and locations are shared, coordinated and identified already. This is about impunity, a total disregard for the laws of war, and now it must become about accountability.” NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS CAMERA SCREEN SHOWING LOCKYEAR DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRETARY GENERAL OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS / MEDECIN SANS PRONTIERE (MSF), CHRISTOPHER LOCKYEAR, SAYING: “It not only shows the failure of deconfliction measures, it shows the futility of these measures in a war fought with no rules. That these attacks on humanitarian workers are allowed to happen is a political choice. Israel faces no political cost, instead its allies enable this brutality with impunity and provide even more weapons that maim and kill civilians indiscriminately.” NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRETARY GENERAL OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS / MEDECIN SANS PRONTIERE (MSF), CHRISTOPHER LOCKYEAR, SAYING: “Since the beginning of this war, nearly 200 humanitarian workers have been killed, including five MSF staff. Many of these humanitarians were killed while providing care for patients or sheltering with their families. We have been saying it for weeks now: this pattern of attacks is either intentional or indicative of reckless incompetence.” VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRETARY GENERAL OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS / MEDECIN SANS PRONTIERE (MSF), CHRISTOPHER LOCKYEAR, SAYING: “I was personally promised an investigation into a convoy of ours that was attacked in November. I have had no response. I have since filed a dossier of further incidents. I am waiting for follow-up. We will not let this go. We expect more. We expect more than excuses from Israel, and we expect more than condemnation from Israel's allies. We expect more than condemnation from Israel's allies. The condemnation we see for the World Central Kitchen incident is right and just, but where is it for every other humanitarian worker, for every other hospital that is destroyed, for every attempt to manipulate the media.” VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRETARY GENERAL OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS / MEDECIN SANS PRONTIERE (MSF), CHRISTOPHER LOCKYEAR, SAYING: “Any tool that enables the visibility and the pressure to change the way that this conflict is going should be used, but at the end of the day, we need to move now from words into actions. We cannot allow this war to continue in the way that it has been doing, because there are now nearly 33,000 people who have been killed and 208 workers have lost their lives. So while I am not pro or against any particular meeting, what we now need is words to be turned into action.” VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING VARIOUS OF EXTERIORS OF MSF
- Embargoed: 18th April 2024 17:06
- Keywords: Doctor Without Border Gaza Hamas Israel MSF World Central Kitchen deaths humanitarian workers war
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Palestinian Occupied Territory
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001283604042024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Secretary General of medical charity Doctors Without Borders said on Thursday (April 4) Israel's attack that killed seven aid workers in Gaza on Monday was "either intentional or indicative of reckless incompetence."
Speaking at press conference in Geneva, the MSF head, Christopher Lockyear, said it was not another 'regrettable incident' as the Israeli narrative goes but rather part of a pattern "of deliberate attacks on humanitarians, health workers, journalists, UN personnel, schools and homes."
Seven workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK), which provides food relief in crisis and conflict zones, were killed when their convoy was hit late on Monday night shortly after they oversaw the unloading of 100 tons of food brought to the Palestinian enclave by sea.
Israel's spokesperson Raquela Karamson said on Thursday there was a "mistake that followed a mis-idenfication at night". Lockyear said the movements and locations of the aid agencies in Gaza "are shared, coordinated and identified already. This is about impunity, a total disregard for the laws of war, and now it must become about accountability.”
Lockyear said nearly 200 aid workers have already been killed in the conflict and that MSF had urged Israel to investigate a deadly attack on an MSF convoy in November and probe other incidents involving the organisation, including a deadly Israeli attack on an MSF shelter in Al-Mawasi in February.
Israel said it would share the results of the investigation into the WCK deaths by an independent body but that it could take several weeks.
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