<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish government on Wednesday "strongly" condemned the attack carried out by Israel against the offices of the NGO Médecins du Monde in Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza Strip, which left eight people dead, including at least three children (four according to the organization itself).</strong></h4> "We strongly condemn the drone attack against the offices of the NGO Médecins du Monde in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, where the numerous humanitarian interventions financed with support from AECID and other Spanish Cooperation agencies were being coordinated," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "This attack has resulted in the deaths of eight people, including three children," it added. According to the statement, the attack, directed against "a building whose location had been reported to the Israeli military authorities as a facility of a humanitarian organization," is "plausible" to be considered a violation of international humanitarian law. "We demand the full and immediate resumption of aid to Gaza and that Israel allow the UN and humanitarian organizations to work independently and impartially to save lives, reduce suffering, and maintain dignity," it concluded. <span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb">The first floor of the building housed the Spanish delegation of Médecins du Monde</span></span><span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb"> in Gaza.</span></span> <h5><strong>"Perfectly identified and registered with the Israeli military authorities"</strong></h5> In a press release, the organization denounced this Tuesday the impact of a missile on a building in the Gaza Strip that housed a Médecins du Monde office, "perfectly identified and registered with the Israeli military authorities." "Initial reports indicate that at least eight people were killed as a result of the bombing: four children, one teenager, and three adults, all of them on the top floor of the building, which was directly hit by the projectile," it continued. "Because today is a holiday for the celebration of Eid, there were no organization personnel inside at the time of the attack, so the entire Médecins du Monde team is safe," it added. “We had previously informed the Israeli army of the presence of our office in this building, which has been officially declared ‘deconflicted,’ meaning protected from Israeli military attacks according to humanitarian coordination agreements,” he continued. “However, as has happened on previous occasions with Israeli attacks, the organization’s team received no advance notice that would have allowed them to evacuate the building or take protective measures for potential occupants,” it denounced. According to Médecins du Monde, the building is located in Deir El Balah, an area that houses numerous offices of non-governmental organizations and that until now had remained relatively untouched by the bombing and destruction in Gaza. This area is also hosting displaced populations from the northern Gaza Strip and the Khan Yunis area, “which underscores the humanitarian importance of Médecins du Monde’s office there.” “This attack represents a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which protects both the civilian population and humanitarian organizations operating in conflict contexts,” it concluded.
