Gaza - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mourns and condemns the loss of former colleague Abdullah Hammad, who was killed by Israeli forces on 3 July in Gaza, Palestine. His death marks the twelfth colleague killed in Gaza since the start of the war. Israeli forces deliberately targeted a group of people, including Abdullah, without warning, as they waited for aid trucks.  

At least 16 people were killed in total, according to medical teams at Nasser hospital. The group had been desperately hoping to collect flour from an aid truck in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, next to a desalination plant in the area, where a similar incident took place on 17 June. Abdullah was a hygienist who worked in Al-Mawasi clinic for a year and a half until 30 June. MSF is appalled and deeply saddened by this atrocious tragedy.  

At this time, our thoughts are with Abdullah’s family, including his sister Zainab, and his two brothers, Karam and Bahaa, who also work for MSF, along with all our MSF colleagues in Gaza with whom we mourn his death and stand with during this extremely difficult time. 

In addition to the loss of Abdullah, MSF has lost 11 colleagues since October 2023. We demand an end to this bloodshed.

“On 3 July, Israeli forces committed yet another massacre, targeting a group of people hopelessly trying to collect bags of flour off an aid truck in southern Gaza. This appalling tragedy killed at least 16 people,” says Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF Emergency Coordinator in Gaza. “The actual number of people killed is likely to be much higher, as Israeli forces refused to allow dead bodies to be retrieved from the site.”

“The systemic and deliberate starvation of Palestinians for over 100 days is pushing people in Gaza to breaking point,” says Zabalgogeazkoa. “This carnage must stop now.”