Beyza Binnur Donmez
17 July 2025•Update: 17 July 2025
GENEVA
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Thursday sharply criticized the EU for its continued failure to act decisively to stop what the organization calls "orchestrated ethnic cleansing" in Gaza, accusing the bloc of complicity in the face of deliberate mass suffering.
In a post on X, the MSF said it had sent an open letter to EU leaders nearly a month earlier, on June 16, urging immediate action to stop the mass atrocities unfolding in the Palestinian enclave.
"The EU can and must act now to stop mass atrocities in Gaza," it wrote. "Yet, amid EU member states' inaction, orchestrated ethnic cleansing in Gaza continues."
According to MSF, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, including 12 of its own staff members. The group said the most recent MSF staffer was killed on July 3 while attempting to retrieve a bag of flour.
"The human carnage and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza are deliberate. Humanitarian aid is weaponised and blocked. Healthcare services are targeted daily," the organization stated.
MSF also condemned the EU Foreign Affairs Council's latest conclusions, adopted on Tuesday, calling them "yet another sign of the unwillingness to exert pressure on Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza."
"Once again, the EU demonstrated hypocrisy and shocking double standards when it comes to protecting civilians and ensuring the respect of international humanitarian law," it said.
Calling on the EU to "turn its words into actions and to end its double standards," MSF concluded by emphasizing the legal and moral responsibilities of all states to stop the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
"Every state has a moral and legal responsibility to recognise and stop the ongoing atrocities in Gaza," it wrote.
The letter was directed at top EU leadership, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
EU foreign ministers met on Monday and Tuesday to discuss growing concerns over Israel's attacks in Gaza, amid mounting civilian casualties and international calls for accountability.
However, member states were unable to reach a consensus, resulting in no formal decision to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement or impose sanctions.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, killing nearly 58,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
