Israel will terminate MSF operations in Gaza after the charity declined to hand over lists of Palestinian staff, a requirement the Israeli ministry says applies to all humanitarian organisations. MSF says it withheld the lists over staff safety concerns and denies allegations linking employees to militant groups. Aid agencies warn MSF's departure could trigger the collapse of emergency, maternal and paediatric services for hundreds of thousands of people.
Israel To End MSF Operations In Gaza After Staff-List Dispute; Aid Groups Warn Of Health-Care Collapse
Palestinians walk past the clinic of Doctors Without Borders in the Remal neighbourhood of Gaza City on January 11, 2026 [Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP]
Israel has announced it will terminate the humanitarian operations of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF) in the Gaza Strip after the charity declined to provide lists of its Palestinian staff, a requirement the Israeli ministry says applies to all aid organisations operating in the territory. Israeli officials set a deadline for MSF to depart the Gaza Strip by February 28.
Background
In December, Israel said it would bar 37 aid organisations, including MSF, from working in Gaza from March 1 for failing to submit detailed information about their Palestinian employees. The decision prompted strong criticism from international non-governmental organisations and the United Nations, which warned the move could further restrict life-saving assistance to civilians in the besieged enclave.
What Israel Says
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said the decision followed MSF's "failure to submit lists of local employees, a requirement applicable to all humanitarian organisations operating in the region." The ministry also alleged links between two MSF employees and Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad; MSF has rejected those allegations.
MSF's Response
MSF says it initially committed in early January to share staff lists with Israeli authorities but ultimately withheld the information, citing concerns for the safety of local staff and a lack of guarantees about how the data would be used. The charity warned that providing personal data without strong protections could expose local employees to serious risks.
Humanitarian Impact
MSF has been a key provider of medical and humanitarian support in Gaza, particularly since the conflict that began on October 7, 2023. The organisation reports it provides at least 20% of hospital beds in the territory and operates about 20 health centres. In 2025 alone MSF carried out more than 800,000 medical consultations and facilitated over 10,000 infant deliveries; it also supplies drinking water.
MSF has reported that 15 of its staff were killed since the conflict began. Aid groups warn that losing MSF's services could cause critical gaps in emergency care, maternal health and paediatric treatment, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without basic medical care.
International Reaction
James Smith, an emergency physician in London, told Al Jazeera the decision is "an extension of Israel's systematic weaponisation and instrumentalisation of aid," arguing that strikes on health services have increased dependence on international organisations. The United Nations and several NGOs have voiced concern that restricting aid organisations will deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The dispute highlights tensions between Israeli security requirements for aid groups and the operational and safety concerns these organisations cite when working in conflict zones.
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