The Creation of a Closed-Off Zone in Gaza
Rony Brauman & Elba Rahmouni
Medical doctor, specialized in tropical medicine and epidemiology. Involved in humanitarian action since 1977, he has been on numerous missions, mainly in contexts of armed conflicts and IDP situations. President of Médecins sans Frontières from 1982 to1994, he has taught at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) at the University of Manchester (UK) and at Sciences Po Paris. He has published several books and articles, including "Guerre humanitaires ? Mensonges et Intox" (Textuel, 2018), "La Médecine Humanitaire" (PUF, 2010), "Penser dans l'urgence" (Editions du Seuil, 2006) and "Utopies Sanitaires" (Editions Le Pommier, 2000).
Since April 2018, Elba has been in charge of dissemination at CRASH. Elba holds a Master's degree in History of Classical Philosophy and a Master's degree in editorial consulting and digital knowledge management. During her studies, she worked on moral philosophy issues and was particularly interested in the practical necessity and the moral, legal and political prohibition of lying in Kant's philosophy.
Israel's response to the massacre of October 7th, 2023, has resulted in a genocidal campaign in Gaza, where a siege has been imposed on two million inhabitants. For two years, Gaza has been facing an unprecedented level of killing and destruction (homes, health facilities, agriculture) in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On December 30th, 37 international NGOs received official notification that their registrations would expire on December 31st, 2025. This triggers a 60-day period, at the end of which these international NGOs are required to cease operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
In this interview conducted by Elba Rahmouni, Rony Brauman analyzes this ban by placing it in the context of two years of systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid delivery by Israel, in violation of international law. He discusses MSF's operations in Gaza, the criticism levelled at the organization by the Israeli authorities, and the limitations of humanitarian action in a context of genocide.
This interview follows on from an initial discussion between Elba and Rony in April 2024. It was filmed in early January. Since then, MSF has decided that it will not share the list of its Palestinian and international staff with the Israeli authorities.MSF statement on sharing staff information and humanitarian operations in Palestine | MSF
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:32 The ceasefire in Gaza: a respite for Palestinians?
- 05:29 MSF confronted with the smear campaign led by the Israeli authorities
- 12:24 Have we reached the limits of humanitarian action in Gaza?
- 19:54 The consequences of MSF's expulsion from Gaza
- 21:16 Instrumentalization of aid: questions surrounding civil-military command and the “Peace Council”
- 27:08 The colonial dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- 32:27 The lack of response from states to violations of IHL in Gaza
- 35:12 “Phase 2” in Gaza: what political levers remain conceivable?
MSF
Video
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
04/16/2024Six months after the events of October 7, the situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The population is trapped and threatened with starvation, while the possibility of a ceasefire is not guaranteed. In this context, how can we describe what is happening in Gaza? Rony Brauman is categorical: it is appropriate to talk about genocide. In this interview conducted by Elba Rahmouni, he offers a historical and political reading of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, looking at the reasons given by Israel to justify the siege of Gaza, the fate of prisoners and the usefulness of humanitarian law.
Nour Alsaqqa/MSF
Opinion
Who killed humanitarian law?
10/02/2025This article by Rony Brauman was originally published in French on October 2, 2025, in the thematic dossier "Deux ans après : penser depyuis le 7 octobre" (“Two Years Later: Reflecting on October 7”), by the Palestine Media Agency (Agence Média Palestine). The author reflects on the events of October 7, 2023, as well as on the disproportionate violence of Israeli reprisals response.
Podcast
Gaza, four weeks in the heart of the apocalypse
08/18/2025Back from Gaza, Jean-Guy Vataux gives a rare and harrowing account of the daily lives of Palestinians and rescue teams facing the Israeli army's "apocalypse strategy." He notably describes the perverse workings of a food rationing system designed to create chaos. This system has caused the deaths of hundreds of young Palestinians employed by shopkeepers to collect or loot food aid, while Israeli snipers enjoy shooting them in the back. The interview concludes with a chilling question: how can we respond to the Palestinians' call to flee this hell at any cost?
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