Israel to terminate MSF work in Gaza for failing to provide Palestinian staff list

Israel said Sunday it was terminating the humanitarian operations of the international charity Doctors Without Borders in Gaza after the organisation failed to provide a list of its Palestinian staff.

“The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism is moving to terminate the activities of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said.

The decision follows “MSF’s failure to submit lists of local employees, a requirement applicable to all humanitarian organisations operating in the region”, it added, stating that the group will cease its work and leave Gaza by February 28.

In December, the ministry announced it would prevent 37 aid organisations, including MSF, from operating in Gaza from March 1 for failing to provide detailed information about their Palestinian staff.

It had alleged that two MSF employees had links with Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which the medical charity vehemently denies.

On Sunday, the ministry said MSF had committed in early January that it would share the staff list as required by the Israeli authorities.

“Despite its public commitment, the organisation refrained from transferring the lists,” the ministry said.

“Subsequently, MSF announced it does not intend to proceed with the registration process at all, contradicting its previous statements and the binding protocol.

“In accordance with the regulations, MSF will cease its operations and depart the Gaza Strip by February 28, 2026,” the ministry added.

In a statement posted on its website on Friday, MSF acknowledged that it had, as an “exceptional measure”, agreed to share a list of names of its Palestinian and international staff with the Israeli authorities.

“However, despite repeated efforts, it became evident that we were unable to build engagement with Israeli authorities on the concrete assurances required,” the charity said.

“These included that any staff information would be used only for its stated administrative purpose and would not be colleagues at risk.”

MSF said it had not received assurances on these fronts, so “concluded that we will not share staff information in the current circumstances”.

jd/srm