Israel blocks Doctors Without Borders, Gaza patients wait
Doctors Without Borders supports many Gaza hospitals, caring for 20% beds and delivering hope to one-third of newborns.
Israel has suspended Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières/MSF) and more than two dozen other humanitarian organisations from operating in the Gaza Strip, a move aid groups warn will deepen the suffering of an already devastated civilian population. The decision, announced on Tuesday, December 30, comes amid fragile ceasefire conditions and overwhelming humanitarian needs on the ground.
According to Israeli authorities, the suspensions are linked to new registration rules introduced earlier this year. These regulations require aid organisations to submit detailed information about their staff, funding sources, and operational structures in order to continue working in Gaza. Israel says the measures are necessary to prevent Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating humanitarian agencies and misusing aid supplies.
Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs stated that more than 30 organisations—around 15 per cent of those operating in Gaza—failed to comply with the new rules and will therefore have their licences revoked from January 1. Organisations based in Israel will be required to leave the country by March 1, though an appeals process has been offered.
Among those suspended is Doctors Without Borders, one of the largest and most recognisable medical humanitarian groups in Gaza. MSF supports roughly 20 per cent of Gaza’s hospital beds and assists in nearly one-third of all births in the territory. The organisation described Israel’s decision as catastrophic, warning it would severely undermine life-saving medical care for civilians.
“MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity,” the organisation said, firmly rejecting Israeli claims that some of its staff were affiliated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad. MSF added that it had not been given evidence to substantiate the allegations and insisted it maintains strict neutrality in conflict zones worldwide.
Israel has long accused Hamas of siphoning off humanitarian aid during the war, allegations that the United Nations and aid groups have repeatedly denied. While Israeli officials argue the impact of the suspensions will be limited, humanitarian organisations strongly disagree.
Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council—another organisation affected by the decision—said the timing could not be worse.
Low also highlighted the toll on Palestinian aid workers. With international staff barred from entering Gaza, the burden of humanitarian operations falls almost entirely on local teams, many of whom are already exhausted after months of relentless crisis.
Some organisations acknowledged they did not submit the full list of Palestinian staff as demanded by Israel. They cited fears that such data could be misused, potentially putting workers at risk, as well as concerns over violating European data protection laws. Aid groups say Israel has not provided sufficient guarantees that the information collected would not be used for military or intelligence purposes.
Athena Rayburn, executive director of AIDA, an umbrella group representing more than 100 organisations working in the Palestinian territories, said these concerns are grave and justified. She noted that over 500 aid workers have been killed in Gaza during the war.
Rayburn added that aid organisations had proposed alternatives, such as third-party vetting of staff, but claimed Israel refused to engage in meaningful dialogue.
Israel’s defence body overseeing humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said the suspended organisations contribute less than 1 per cent of the total aid entering the Strip, and insisted that assistance would continue through more than 20 groups that received permits. Aid workers counter that this figure understates the specialised medical and protection services provided by banned organisations.
This is not the first time Israel has cracked down on international humanitarian groups. Earlier this year, Israel banned the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating on its territory after accusing it of being infiltrated by Hamas—claims the UN has denied. The United States, once UNRWA’s largest donor, halted funding to the agency in early 2024.
More recently, Israel also barred Save the Children and the American Friends Service Committee, giving them 60 days to withdraw international staff from Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Israel.
For aid groups, the suspensions mark a dangerous turning point. As Gaza’s civilians struggle with shattered healthcare, displacement, and trauma, humanitarian organisations warn that blocking neutral aid risks turning an already dire crisis into an even deeper human tragedy.