It’s been one year, 10 months, and 24 days since Gaza was plunged into war, following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the wider conflict that Israel has waged since. But in recent months, a different kind of battle has emerged — one fought not with weapons, but with words.
On one side of the split screen, Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF, accused the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — an organization backed by Israel and the United States — of “orchestrated killing.” It said that since GHF’s operations began, MSF alone has received 1,380 casualties, including 28 dead bodies, coming from GHF food distribution sites, a figure the organization said represents just a fraction of the injuries and deaths recorded.
GHF rejected that claim, calling it “false and disgraceful.” Days later, the organization’s spokesperson, Chapin Fay, told a British television station that there had been “zero casualties at GHF distribution sites, other than two terrorist incidents.” Fay then added that 20 GHF staffers were denied treatment at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, noting that MSF doctors were stationed there. The allegation was immediately denied by MSF.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
