Eight killed in an Israeli attack on the Spanish headquarters of Doctors of the World in Gaza.

The Spanish delegation of Doctors of the World was located on the first floor of a building that was attacked by Israel on Tuesday in Deir al Balah, in the center of Gaza. Eight people have died, including four children and a teenager, due to the impact of two devices launched from a drone one level above the NGO’s offices, which have been destroyed.

“The location of the office was known to Israel, perfectly identified,” states Sally Saleh, field coordinator of Doctors of the World in the Palestinian Strip, in audio messages sent to this newspaper. Despite the attack occurring at 11:00 AM (10:00 AM in mainland Spain), there were no health organization workers present at that time. “Fortunately, we did not suffer any injuries among our staff, but there was material damage,” explains the aid worker. She herself went to check the destruction after the bombing ended. “It’s horrific,” she describes.

Saleh emphasizes that the organization had communicated its location to Israel, making this attack “a violation of international law,” she points out, “which establishes that NGOs, their workers, and facilities must be protected.”

However, “as happened in previous instances with Israeli attacks, the organization’s team did not receive any prior notice that would allow them to evacuate the building or take protective measures for possible occupants,” the entity reported in a statement.

In this regard, a new report from the United Nations published on Tuesday blames Israel for committing war crimes and causing “extermination” (classified as a crime against humanity) with its repeated attacks on schools, universities, mosques, and other educational, religious, and cultural buildings.

The attacked building of Doctors of the World is located in a neighborhood of Deir al Balah that houses numerous offices of non-governmental organizations. “Until now, it had remained relatively outside of the bombings and areas of destruction in Gaza,” clarified the medical NGO. This area of the city also hosts displaced populations from the north of the enclave and from Khan Younis in the south.

The coordinator of Doctors of the World in Gaza warns that the destruction of their offices “will impact the organization’s operations” to provide care to the beleaguered Gazan population. “The solar power installation and the pipes have been completely destroyed, so there is no water or electricity,” she states. “I have relocated the most valuable assets and we plan to operate temporarily from [the office of the delegation of] Doctors of the World France.”

After the attack, the Coordination and Liaison Office (CLA), responsible for authorizing and coordinating humanitarian personnel movements within Gaza, “has not provided any explanation, despite being contacted by Doctors of the World,” the NGO denounced in its statement.

Humanitarian assistance is becoming increasingly complicated in the Strip, especially due to the lack of supplies, food, and obstruction to access health care. The NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) also warned on Tuesday that Nasser Hospital, “the only hope left for Palestinians in southern Gaza,” is being threatened by ongoing bombings around the building.

Since the beginning of the Israeli invasion of Gaza on October 7, 2023 — when Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage — 54,981 people have died and 126,920 have been injured, according to the Health Ministry of the territory controlled by the Islamist militia.

Health authorities have also noted that 163 people have died and 1,495 have been injured in the last two weeks during food distributions by the Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza (FHG), a private entity operating outside of the UN and backed by the US and Israel.