MSF emergency coordinator condemns Gaza aid distribution scheme as deadly

China

MSF emergency coordinator condemns Gaza aid distribution scheme as deadly

2025-06-29 20:23 Last Updated At：23:47

Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has condemned the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza aid distribution scheme, calling it a deadly operation that forces Palestinians to risk their lives for survival.

Labeling the aid initiative a "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid", the international medical organization is calling for the immediate halt to the scheme, which they said has resulted in mass casualties.

According to the MSF, the aid program, launched a month ago to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, forces Palestinian civilians to choose between starvation and risking deadly violence at heavily controlled distribution sites.

"We are talking about there has been two months already with literally no supplies getting into Gaza, really inadequate quantities of food getting into and also lack of supplies, medical supplies. So the people are really desperate and then we have this terrible situation around the distribution sites where each of the distribution is converted in a massacre by the Israeli forces each time that is happening," said Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, Doctors Without Borders's emergency coordinator in Gaza, in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).

"Most of the people are forced to go through one road. It's a closed site, which is the size of a football stadium. They are forced to get into an area which is already under evacuation. So it's a combat zone for the Israeli forces. They are given very few minutes to collect the boxes and to leave the area. So what happens is that if the people arrive earlier than expected, they get shot. If they are not respecting the instructions during the distribution, they get shot. And if they are staying further and longer after the distribution, they get shot also. So, this has been one after the other, after the other, after the other shootings which affected, you know, around 500 people got killed, and nearly 4,000 people about to be killed just trying desperately to get food," he said.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that since late May, over 500 Palestinians have lost their lives in incidents near the aid distribution centers operated under Israeli and U.S. coordination. The Ministry further warned that the Israeli blockade on Gaza has brought the enclave to the brink of famine, with infants and children already dying from malnutrition.

As the humanitarian crisis deepens, international organizations are continuing to raise alarm over both the lack of essential supplies and the human cost of current aid operations in war-torn Gaza.

China closes 2025 with record 92 space launches

China closed 2025 with a record of 92 space launches and major breakthroughs were made in manned space launches, deep space exploration and commercial launches, according to the China National Space Administration.

"In 2025, we created a new launch record, sending more than 300 satellites into planned orbits. Both the number of launches and the number of payloads placed in orbit have achieved qualitative leapfrog development," said Zhu Haiyang, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

In 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest single mission duration in the history of China's manned space program. Following the Shenzhou-20, the Shenzhou-21 achieved the fastest rendezvous and docking in the history of the Shenzhou mission in just three hours and a half.

Facing an unexpected technical situation with the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, China immediately activated emergency plans. Within 16 days, a series of maneuvers were accomplished including the launch of the Shenzhou-22 backup vehicle, presenting a "textbook model" for the international space community in effectively responding to unexpected emergencies.

In deep space exploration, the Tianwen-2 probe embarked on its journey for China's first asteroid exploration and sample-return mission in 2025.

Last year also saw intensive launch activities from multiple commercial rocket types, injecting strong momentum into the country's commercial space development.

As China has kicked off the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), a new blueprint for the country's space program is unfolding. Multiple tests are planned in preparation for future lunar exploration, as Chang'e-7 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched for the lunar south pole to search for evidence of water ice. The industry is also preparing for the maiden flights of several new rocket types, which will include the challenges to test rocket recovery and reusability technologies.