On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the Crash team was pleased to welcome Julia Grignon (Scientific director of the Institut de recherche stratégique de l'Ecole militaire - IRSEM), Jean-François Corty (President of Médecins du Monde) and Rony Brauman (Crash-MSF) for a conference-debate to mark the publication of the latest issue of Alternatives Humanitaires magazine: “Ukraine-Gaza, exchange of views”, in which humanitarian practitioners and observers share their analyses. The conference was prepared and moderated by Elba Rahmouni.

The wars in Ukraine and Palestine are raging simultaneously on the fringes of the European Union, leading to intense political polarization. While the tension surrounding the war in Gaza is certainly more acute, both conflicts have given rise to numerous statements on the right to self-defense and the serious violations of international humanitarian law. NGOs, in particular Médecins du Monde and Médecins sans Frontières, have also had to take a stand in this highly charged context.

What do the Israeli-Palestinian and Russo-Ukrainian conflicts change and confirm for the humanitarian sector? How have they led to a reassessment of our working method, and challenged fundamental humanitarian principles? What debates have they sparked in the world of humanitarian NGOs? These are the questions addressed by the various contributors to this special issue of Alternatives Humanitaires, co-edited by Jean-François Corty and Rony Brauman. These questions also served as the guiding theme of the conference-debate. 

Boris Martin, editor-in-chief of Humanitarian Alternatives, was present at the event.