Gaza: At long last, a temporary ceasefire
Now the world must act decisively to massively scale up humanitarian assistance and confront the war’s impacts head-on
“Since more than 400 days, we didn’t hear any kind of celebration, singing, dancing. Gaza, yesterday at night, started to celebrate, to sing, children in the streets, you can hear them singing songs.”
My colleague, Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, a physician who works for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Gaza, said these words after hearing the initial announcement of a possible ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
He went on: “There were also a lot of my colleagues that were crying. Personally, I had mixed feelings. At one point I wanted to smile and laugh and sing, and at the same time to cry, to grieve. We will cry about a lot of things when the ceasefire will be starting. We will cry for the people that we lost, friends, family members. We will cry for the orphans. We will cry for the widows in Gaza. We will cry for the disabled people. We will cry for the houses that have been destroyed and homes that have been destroyed.”
“Rebuilding Gaza’s health system will take years and will require significant international support. The war’s impact will be felt for generations.”
At long last, we welcome this announcement of a temporary ceasefire, one that comes tragically late, after immense suffering and countless lives lost, including nine of our own MSF colleagues. As this vital respite begins, we now have a critical opportunity to confront the war’s catastrophic impacts head-on.
The temporary ceasefire allows the international community to fully grasp the scale of destruction in Gaza. The toll of this conflict is staggering. Over 46,000 Palestinians killed, more than 105,000 wounded, and approximately 1.9 million people – 90 per cent of Gaza’s population – displaced. Meanwhile, many families in Israel continue to desperately wait for the return of their loved ones taken hostage in October 2023.
The systematic destruction of medical facilities has left Gaza’s health infrastructure in ruins. The healthcare system has been decimated, with only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals partially functioning, while 19 are completely out of service. From October 2023 to October 2024, MSF staff alone have endured 41 attacks and violent incidents, including airstrikes, shelling and violent incursions in health facilities; direct fire on the organization’s shelters and convoys; and arbitrary detention of colleagues by Israeli forces. Rebuilding Gaza’s health system will take years and will require significant international support.
The war’s impact will be felt for generations. We anticipate a staggering number of war-wounded requiring years of rehabilitation, and risk infections, amputations and permanent disability. The psychological trauma inflicted by the violence, loss of loved ones and homes, harsh living conditions and repeated displacements represents an enormous and pressing need that will persist for decades.
Furthermore, the environmental toll of the conflict will exacerbate long-term health risks for people in Gaza. According to estimates published in The Lancet, the number of excess deaths resulting from the war, including those due to healthcare collapse, malnutrition and disease outbreaks, could conservatively reach 186,000, with 148,000 of these being indirect deaths. These figures underscore the grim reality that even with a ceasefire, there is a long journey to rehabilitation ahead.
In the last 15 months of war, Israeli authorities have severely restricted the entry of essential items such as food, water and medical supplies. This blockade must end immediately to prevent further suffering. There have also been severe restrictions on patients that need medical evacuations. We continue to treat patients who receive news that they have been denied medical evacuation with no clear explanation provided. Patients in need of specialized medical care have nowhere to go. According to the World Health Organization, there are at least 12,000 people still in need of medical evacuation from Gaza.
“Canadian federal and provincial policymakers can also use their power to support the thousands of wounded Palestinians awaiting medical evacuations.”
Palestinians continue to struggle for survival in what has essentially become a death trap – a war zone with no safe havens and no viable escape routes.
Our empathy and humanity must not end with the announcement of a ceasefire. For over a year, Canadians across the country advocated firmly for the ceasefire we needed to end the bloodshed – now, we must use our voice and power to call on Israeli authorities to urgently ensure humanitarian assistance into Gaza. MSF remains committed to working around the clock to provide care to people in Gaza, but we can’t do it alone – humanitarian needs now have mounted to catastrophic levels, and meeting them will only be possible through a rapid and massive scale-up of global humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
Canadian federal and provincial policymakers can also use their power to support the thousands of wounded Palestinians awaiting medical evacuations. Just this month, the Government of Manitoba, with support from MSF and other partners, facilitated the first medical evacuation of a Palestinian child to Canada for life-changing medical care. Other provinces can follow this lead by welcoming patients who cannot receive the complex and sustained medical care they need in Gaza. The Canadian government must also use its diplomatic influence to help challenge the currently lengthy processes and unexplained denials that block medical evacuations for patients who have been severely injured.
A meaningful ceasefire must come with these urgent needs addressed comprehensively. The international community must seize this moment to push for lasting solutions and prevent further devastation. Failure to act decisively now, in light of the overwhelming evidence of human suffering, would be a moral failure of the highest order.
