Jordan, Nov. 13 -- Days after the war broke out in Gaza, Israel ordered about half of the entire population to flee to the south. We stayed in the north and moved to the nearest MSF office, where many of the staff and their families had gathered. It felt safer than our homes, though every sound outside reminded us that nowhere was truly safe.

As weeks passed, Israeli forces stormed Al-Shifa Hospital, and fear spread through every corner of Gaza City. By then, shops and bakeries had long shut down, and hunger was starting to tighten its grip on the north of the Strip. The city was being demolished and the people who remained were starving. We decided to flee, hoping the south of the Strip might offer a small chance of survival.

MSF tried...