MSF has renewed its plea for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has vehemently condemned the devastating attack on one of its shelters in Gaza, Palestine.

The Israeli strike, which occurred on January 8, killed a five-year-old daughter of an MSF staff member.

On the morning of January 8, a shell, reminiscent of those used by tanks, pierced the wall of a shelter in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. This building had been a sanctuary for over 100 MSF staff and their family members amidst the escalating Israeli attacks.

The child, who was critically injured by the shelling, was rushed for emergency surgery at the Gaza European Hospital but died the next day.

The attack also resulted in minor injuries to three other individuals.

Thomas Lauvin, MSF project coordinator in Gaza, expressed the organisation’s grief and frustration.

“We are outraged and deeply saddened by the death of yet another family member of our MSF staff. This strike on civilians is unacceptable and, once again, goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you are in Gaza, nowhere is safe,” he said.

“The shell did not detonate on impact, otherwise many more of our staff and their families would have most likely been killed,” he added.

MSF had previously informed Israeli forces about the shelter’s use as a refuge for its staff and their families, situated near the Gaza European Hospital. Despite this, no evacuation orders were issued before the strike.

The organisation has contacted Israeli authorities seeking an explanation.

This tragedy adds to a growing list of losses for MSF’s team on the ground in Gaza, with four staff members and several family members having lost their lives since the onset of the war.