Key Takeaways

• Dr Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), states that occupation — not disease — is the primary driver of Palestine's health crisis.
  As of 14 July, Israel had killed 1,110 Palestinians and injured 3,599 since the ceasefire began, with June recorded as the deadliest month since October 2025.
• Israel's expanding "yellow line" has compressed over two million people into roughly one-third of the Gaza Strip, worsening overcrowding, disease spread, and unmet basic needs.
• At least 1,700 healthcare staff, including 15 MSF team members, have been killed since October 2023, and more than 95 Palestinian healthcare workers — including MSF surgeon Dr Mohammed Obeid — remain detained without charge.
• The article calls for a drastic policy shift prioritising Palestinian dignity, civilian protection, unimpeded humanitarian access, and government accountability.

The number one health issue in Palestine is the Israeli occupation

As the genocide in Gaza surpasses 1,000 days, and the ceasefire continues to be violated by Israel, Dr Javid reflects on the continued complicity of world leaders who allow Israel to continue its genocidal campaign and calls for a drastic policy shift.

The erosion of a dignified life

Across Palestine, the cumulative effect of Israeli occupation on Palestinians since 7 October 2023 is clear: they have eroded the ability for Palestinians to live a dignified, healthy life. This must be named clearly. Policies applied in Gaza, and the trajectory observed in the West Bank, point to the broader Israeli project of colonisation of Palestine through occupation.

It's been over 1,000 days since Israel's genocide in Gaza began, and the collective punishment of Palestinians continues to this day. Amidst a so-called ceasefire, the world has normalised seeing Palestinians being maimed and killed daily in their tents, in hospitals, and on the street.

A ceasefire in name only

The word ceasefire has lost all meaning. As I write these lines, the number of casualties keeps growing, as does the disinterest towards the catastrophic situation in Gaza, the world's most striking political failure in recent decades.