Doctors Without Borders US CEO: Gaza aid system is ‘unsafe' and ‘inefficient'
Speaking with ABC News' "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Benoît described what she and doctors are witnessing firsthand.
""People are desperate. The patients that we're seeing are malnourished and we have seen women deliver prematurely," Benoît said. She said the lack of food aid has put newborns at risk due to mothers not having enough nutrition to breastfeed.
"We're also seeing people coming in with all the catastrophic injuries that you would expect in an open zone of airstrikes and continuing hostility as they're coming in with those trauma injuries, and third-degree burns to their entire bodies, children with their faces blown off, and all the major orthopedic cases."
She explained how children's bodies aren't strong enough to ward off infections and disease.
"Their bodies are not strong enough to even fight, to -- to be able to withstand the risk of infection. They're -- they're not recovering properly. And that's -- that's exacerbating the problem in the health facilities because, of course, you would want people to have all the chances in the world to be able to overcome their injuries, to discharge them, to make room for others," she said.
Benoît blamed Israel for clinics and hospitals in Gaza not being able to do their jobs.
"The hospital infrastructure, which Israel has largely destroyed with the clinics and other outpatient facilities that we have and with the rest of the humanitarian organizations that are trying to support the medical needs in Gaza, we are completely overwhelmed and starvation is making things all that much more catastrophic."
Benoît's appearance on ABC News comes after U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Gaza on Friday to inspect current models of food aid distribution. Several aid organizations report that some people in Gaza, especially children, are down to eating only one meal per day and others not eating at all.
"My own colleagues are eating every second day and scrounging around for food," Benoît said.
She described the current model of distribution, controlled by Israel and backed by the U.S., as being significantly ineffective and inefficient.
"It's unsafe. It's an inefficient way to deliver aid. People have to cross very unsafe zones to reach those areas that are controlled by the IDF and military contractors from the U.S., and then there are insufficient quantities."
She further stated how Israel is making matters more difficult for those in Gaza who need the aid.
"And the injuries are not only people being shot as they're leaving the zone with their bags of flour, but it's also from the trampling that happens, the injuries that happen when people are crushing and jumping over each other because of all the gunshots against unarmed civilians who are just trying to survive with a bit of food aid," Benoît said.
Despite the dire situation, Benoît remains hopeful as she presses for more aid and for a ceasefire to come soon.
"So we very much hope, for everyone's sake, all the civilians inside Gaza, including hostages, but of course, all of the people, the families and the children that there's an end to this with a real, lasting ceasefire," she added.
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