AhlulBayt News Agency: Israel has barred the international medical organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from operating in Gaza and other occupied territories after the group refused to submit a list of its staff, citing insufficient guarantees from Israeli authorities.
In a statement on Sunday, Israel’s foreign ministry accused MSF of “having something to hide” for declining to provide the requested information.
The ministry claimed that MSF had agreed in early January to share staff lists as part of a registration process mandated by Israeli officials.
“Despite its public commitment, the organization refrained from transferring the lists,” the ministry stated.
MSF had previously said it would exceptionally provide a limited list of Palestinian and international staff to avoid suspension of its operations beginning March 1, 2026.
However, the charity announced on Friday that it could not obtain basic assurances regarding how the information would be used and protected.
“Despite repeated efforts, it became clear that we could not establish engagement with Israeli authorities on the concrete assurances required,” MSF said.
The organization added that it had sought guarantees that staff information would be used solely for administrative purposes and would not endanger employees.
MSF said those assurances were never provided, leading the group to conclude that it “will not share staff information under the current circumstances.”
The charity’s initial willingness to comply with Israeli requirements sparked controversy within the medical community.
British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah warned that MSF was putting its staff at further risk by agreeing to the Israeli order.
He said staff members face the same coercive pressures as Palestinians forced to risk their lives at aid distribution points across Gaza.
Abu Sittah added that the move endangers not only MSF employees but also their families, while Israel continues to use “tired terror narratives” against humanitarian organizations.
He argued that accepting assurances from an occupying regime responsible for killing 562 aid workers further implicates MSF.
He also rejected the idea of meaningful consent under such conditions, saying, “the moral bankruptcy lies in implying that during genocide Palestinians can give free consent.”
MSF has strongly denied Israeli allegations that its staff are linked to Palestinian resistance groups, calling the claims baseless and unsupported.
The organization recently warned that such accusations endanger medical teams and threaten to deprive hundreds of thousands of Palestinians of essential healthcare as Gaza’s health system collapses.
MSF is currently awaiting renewal of its registration to operate in Gaza and the occupied West Bank through December 31, 2025, under new Israeli rules requiring disclosure of staff names.
/129
Your Comment