Israel has announced it will terminate the activities of Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) in the Gaza Strip by February 28, citing the organisation’s refusal to provide a list of its Palestinian employees.
In a statement, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which oversees the registration of humanitarian organisations, said MSF failed to comply with a mandatory requirement to submit details of its local staff — an obligation that applies to all international NGOs operating in Gaza.
In December, Israeli authorities had already warned that 37 humanitarian organisations, including MSF, would be barred from operating in Gaza from March 1 if they did not supply detailed information about their Palestinian personnel.
Israel has also alleged that two MSF employees had links to Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad — claims that the organisation has strongly denied, stressing that it maintains strict neutrality and rejects any association with armed groups.
According to the Ministry, MSF had committed in early January to sharing the staff list, but later failed to do so. Authorities claim the organisation subsequently stated it did not intend to engage in the registration process, contradicting its earlier public assurances.
As a result, Israel has ordered Doctors Without Borders to cease all operations and leave the Gaza Strip by February 28, a move that has sparked concern among humanitarian groups amid the ongoing crisis in the territory.
