ISRAEL has been panned after saying it will suspend more than two dozen humanitarian organisations from working in Gaza.
The country’s ministry of diaspora affairs said the organisations that would be banned on January 1 did not meet new requirements for sharing staff, funding and operations information.
It accused Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF and one of the largest health organisations operating in Gaza, of failing to clarify the roles of some staff that Israel accused of co-operation with Hamas and other militant groups.
International organisations have said Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.
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In a statement, MSF hit out at the move and added that it would put humanitarian staff at risk and undermine life-saving work.
“MSF takes allegations that its staff are linked to armed groups extremely seriously. As previously stated, MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity,” a spokesperson said.
“Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and our patients. Publicly making such claims without substantiated evidence puts humanitarian staff at risk and undermines life-saving medical work.”
They added: “This allegation comes as MSF’s registration to operate in Gaza and the West Bank has not been renewed by the Israeli authorities, with a risk of de-registration as of 1 January 2026, which would force MSF to stop operations within 60 days.
“This would effectively block MSF from operating in Gaza, where we support one in five hospital beds and one in three births, cutting off life-saving medical assistance for hundreds of thousands of people. If MSF is prevented from working in Gaza, it will deprive hundreds of thousands of people from accessing medical care.”
The ministry said around 25 organisations, or 15%, of the NGOs working in Gaza did not have their permits renewed.
Israel claims it is upholding the aid commitments laid out in the so-called ceasefire that took effect on October 10, but they have continuously blocked aid – with international organisations disputing Israel’s numbers and saying more is desperately needed amid the genocide.
