Addressing frequently asked questions and allegations about Doctors Without Borders work in Gaza

Doctors Without Borders made the difficult decision to suspend all non-critical medical operations in Nasser Hospital, the largest functional facility in Gaza, as of 20 January 2026 due to concerns regarding the management of the structure, the safeguarding of its neutrality and security breaches.

In recent months, in Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, patients and Doctors Without Borders personnel have seen armed men, some masked, in the different areas of the large compound of the hospital. This had not been in areas where Doctors Without Borders has activities, but in other parts of the hospital compound. With an uptick since the ceasefire, Doctors Without Borders teams have reported a pattern of unacceptable acts including the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients and a recent situation of suspicion of movement of weapons. These incidents pose serious security threats to our teams and patients.

Doctors Without Borders formally expressed its strong concern to the relevant authorities and emphasised the incompatibility of such violations with Doctors Without Borders' medical mission. Hospitals must remain neutral, civilian spaces, free from military presence or activity, to ensure the safe and impartial delivery of medical care.

Doctors Without Borders' concerns are heightened by past attacks on hospitals during the conflict, as health facilities have been regularly and deliberately targeted by the Israeli forces, resulting in loss of life and damage to infrastructure. Doctors Without Borders calls on all armed groups, as well as Israeli forces, to respect medical facilities and ensure the protection of staff and patients.

We have put an end to all the support to the paediatric and maternity wards, including to the neonatal intensive care unit. We have also suspended indefinitely our outpatient consultations, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, 3D burn screening and mental health activities.

We continue to support some critical activities at Nasser Hospital, including the inpatient and surgical departments for patients with orthopaedic, traumatic or burn

injuries until further notice, as in these departments patients’ lives entirely depend on Doctors Without Borders care.

No. Had Doctors Without Borders staff seen any of these we would have immediately taken the decision to leave.

Doctors Without Borders staff have witnessed a limited number of incidents, including the presence of armed individuals within hospital compounds. However, based on Doctors Without Borders' direct observations, we do not have sufficient evidence to conclude that the hospital was being used by armed groups for military purposes, such as serving as bases or sites for organized military operations.

These isolated incidents, including reports of armed personnel, do not change the status of hospitals and health facilities which are protected under international law. Nasser Hospital is a vital lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza. We call on all armed groups, Hamas and Israeli forces, to ensure the protection of civilians and not add further suffering on top of all that people in Gaza have experienced.

Doctors Without Borders has communicated directly with relevant authorities in each case where we have witnessed such incidents. The frequency of such events has increased since the ceasefire. Violence, intimidation, or presence of armed men in health facilities, pose unacceptable risks to patients and staff in an already devastated health system. Hospitals and medical staff and personnel are protected under international law and we firmly condemn any action that hinders our work and the effective delivery of healthcare.

We continue to support some critical activities at Nasser Hospital, including the inpatient and surgical departments for patients with orthopaedic, traumatic or burn injuries until further notice, as in these departments patients’ lives entirely depend on Doctors Without Borders care. Doctors Without Borders will continue to engage with the Ministry of Health and request the protection of hospitals and health facilities including Nasser Hospital.

We will continue to assess risks to the neutrality of these spaces and the security of our staff and patients and plan our medical activities accordingly. Unfortunately, at this time we cannot confirm resumption of the other activities until we have obtained the necessary safeguards. Our priority remains to ensure the safe delivery of medical care to people in Gaza and respond to massive humanitarian needs.

In 2025 alone, Doctors Without Borders teams handled over 100,000 trauma cases; managed the care for over 400 hospital beds; performed 22,700 surgical operations on nearly 10,000 patients; carried out almost 800,000 outpatient consultations; administered 45,000 vaccinations; assisted in more than 10,000 births; provided more than 40,000 individual mental health sessions and group sessions for over 60,000 people; distributed more than 700 million litres of water and produced nearly 100 million litres of clean water. Many of the services provided by Doctors Without Borders are largely unavailable elsewhere in Gaza due to the destruction of the health system.

As of 1 January 2026, Doctors Without Borders' registration is no longer valid, and we will be required to cease operations by 1 March 2026. If Doctors Without Borders loses access to Gaza, hundreds of thousands of people will lose access to critical medical care and water. Doctors Without Borders' vital work serves nearly half a million people in Gaza.

In Gaza, Doctors Without Borders is currently supporting six public hospitals and running two field hospitals. We also support seven general healthcare centres and run an inpatient feeding centre for people with malnutrition. Doctors Without Borders has recently opened six new medical points where we provide wound care and other general healthcare services.

Doctors Without Borders has been working in Palestine since 1988.

For many months, Doctors Without Borders has unsuccessfully sought dialogue with the Israeli authorities on the renewal of our registration to work in Palestine. We remain open to dialogue with the Israeli authorities to maintain our critical medical operations in Gaza and the West Bank and to ensure that Doctors Without Borders can continue delivering essential, lifesaving medical care to people in desperate need, whilst safeguarding our teams. We would consult our Palestinian colleagues on any possible next step.

By accusing Doctors Without Borders as well as other NGOs, of not cooperating and creating smear campaigns against aid organisations, Israel is using unfounded allegations to arbitrarily restrict access to critical care for Palestinians and limit witnessing from independent organisations working on the ground. This type of accusation contributes to the delegitimisation of humanitarian workers who are delivering vital care and services under extremely challenging conditions.

We observe that such accusations fit within a long-standing pattern used by Israeli authorities, alongside numerous physical and bureaucratic obstacles, to restrict the entry and delivery of aid into Gaza. Similar tactics were used in 2024 against UNRWA. Allegations are used to justify actions which stand in clear contradiction to the Israeli government’s claims that it is facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

As of the 1 January 2026, Doctors Without Borders' registration to work in Gaza and the West Bank has expired and is therefore no longer valid. As such, we are required to cease operations by 1 March 2026. We are seeking avenues to ensure that our humanitarian response continues in Gaza and the West Bank. We are also engaging with the Israeli authorities to ensure we can continue our activities, the prevention of which is a direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2720 - which calls for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians.

For 2026, Doctors Without Borders has committed an estimated 100-120 million euros for our humanitarian response in Gaza.

Doctors Without Borders remains fully operational in Gaza and the West Bank and continues to deliver critical medical care. However, as Doctors Without Borders' registration in Israel expired on 31 December 2025, we are no longer authorised to import supplies or have international staff enter into Gaza. This deprives our medical teams of much-needed materials and technical skills.

We remain committed to providing assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and call on the Israeli authorities to reverse their decision about our registration and to put in place acceptable operating conditions, including guarantees for the safety of Doctors Without Borders staff and patients.

In an effort to explore every possible option – however limited – to continue providing critical medical care, Doctors Without Borders informed Israeli authorities on 23 January that, as an exceptional measure, Doctors Without Borders would be prepared to share a defined list of Palestinian and international staff names, subject to clear parameters, with our staff safety at its core. This position was defined following consultation with our Palestinian colleagues and with the clear understanding no staff information would be shared without the express agreement of individuals concerned.

However, despite repeated efforts, it became evident that we were unable to build engagement with Israeli authorities on the concrete assurances required. These included that any staff information would be used only for its stated administrative purpose and would not put colleagues at risk; that Doctors Without Borders would retain full authority over all human resource matters and management of medical humanitarian supplies, and that all communications defaming MSF and undermining staff safety would cease.

As a result, and in the absence of these clear assurances, we have concluded that we will not share staff information in the current circumstances. Doctors Without Borders remains open to ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities to maintain our critical medical operations in Gaza and the West Bank and to ensure that Doctors Without Borders can continue delivering essential, lifesaving medical care to people in desperate need.

No, we have not at any moment handed over any list of our national or international staff to Israeli authorities as part of this registration process.

Expelling Doctors Without Borders, alongside dozens of other humanitarian organisations, would deprive hundreds of thousands of people of essential medical care. Doctors Without Borders is one of the few international organisations able to witness and denounce the ongoing genocide and if we are forced to leave, we will lose this ability.

Israeli authorities have forced humanitarian organisations including Doctors Without Borders into an impossible choice – between sharing information about our staff or interrupting critical medical care in a context of staggering humanitarian needs and extreme violence against health workers. Facing the imminent threat of the closure of our projects, Doctors Without Borders wanted to explore all possible chances to continue providing medical care in Gaza and the West Bank. As such, we wrote to the Israeli authorities explaining that as an exceptional measure, under exceptional circumstances, we would be prepared to provide a defined staff list subject to clear parameters with staff safety at its core.

We did not share the personal details of any of our colleagues. Despite repeated efforts, it became evident that we were unable to build engagement with Israeli authorities on the concrete assurances required. As a result, and in the absence of these clear assurances, we have concluded that we will not share staff information in the current circumstances.

This process included dialogue across teams and most critically with our Palestinian colleagues, taking into account their perspectives and concerns, including with respect to their personal safety and the consequences of Doctors Without Borders' potential withdrawal.

Throughout, we stressed that no information would be shared without the agreement of the individual concerned, and no pressure should be put on anyone regarding decisions affecting Doctors Without Borders' continuation of operations in Gaza and the West Bank. It was emphasised that not participating would not impact people’s employment with Doctors Without Borders.

We used several channels to gather staff feedback, including focus-group discussions, one-to-one conversations, surveys, and town-hall style exchanges. In these discussions, our colleagues voiced a wide range of concerns, including safety risks, and uncertainty about the implications for our humanitarian principles. Some were worried about possible repercussions of sharing their details, while others questioned whether complying would lead to registration or yet further demands.

We recognise the limitations and difficulty for our Palestinian colleagues to provide proper informed consent in this environment of coercion imposed by the Israeli authorities. Israel knowingly gave Doctors Without Borders and our Palestinian colleagues an impossible choice; either we provide information about our colleagues or risk being forced to abandon the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who need vital medical care. The lack of assurances from the Israeli authorities also makes it impossible for our staff to know what they would be accepting, should they provide their names.

Despite the challenges of consent, it was not possible or acceptable, to make any decisions without discussing with our Palestinian colleagues. What was conducted was a consultation, not a transfer of institutional responsibility. The intention was never to ask our colleagues to carry the weight of an unbearable decision, but to ensure we heard their views on a question that is existential for their safety and work.

Yes, we are offering financial support to all the families of Doctors Without Borders staff members who have been killed by Israeli forces. We are in touch with all the families to support them, including by providing legal and financial support and health coverage for dependents, and we will continue to do so.

Doctors Without Borders takes these allegations seriously. Doctors Without Borders would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity. Any employee with links to an armed group would pose a serious risk to our staff and to our patients. For this reason, wherever we operate, all Doctors Without Borders staff are required to commit to the MSF Charter, which includes strict adherence to humanitarian principles, independence, and medical ethics.

Recruitment procedures include rigorous due diligence, background and reference checks, CV verification, and probationary periods. Doctors Without Borders has implemented an enhanced screening and vetting process for all staff recruited in this context. As everywhere else, Doctors Without Borders operates strictly in accordance with the principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, providing medical care based on need alone, irrespective of political authority or affiliation. Our support to the health system in Gaza is purely humanitarian and in no way ideological.

Doctors Without Borders works with the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which is part of the Hamas Civilian Administration. The current smear campaign against aid organisations by Israeli authorities' states that “Doctors Without Borders shares information with a terrorist organisation”, when in fact coordinating with medical authorities is standard practice in any place where we operate. These smear tactics attempt to distract attention away from the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground. As everywhere, Doctors Without Borders operates strictly in accordance with the principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, providing medical care based on need alone, irrespective of political authority or affiliation.

Our operations are independent, transparent, and strictly monitored. A USAID review found no evidence of widescale diversion of humanitarian aid by Hamas in Gaza. Senior Israeli army officers have also acknowledged that there is no evidence of systematic widescale diversion of humanitarian aid by Hamas in Gaza.

From the beginning of this war, the number of trucks carrying medicine, food, and water which have crossed the borders into Gaza have been entirely insufficient, in comparison to the scale of destruction and need. During the past two years, we have communicated and documented the ways in which Gaza’s supply chain of humanitarian aid has been effectively choked by Israeli authorities. Lengthy bureaucratic procedures and “dual-use items” lists have been put in place. The “dual-use item” prohibition is why some items have not been allowed to enter Gaza, including scalpels and oxygen generators.

We were horrified by the mass killing of 1,200 people in Israel by Hamas, and we unequivocally condemn those attacks. We are horrified by the spiral of violence and the tragedies on both sides. Our communications are driven by what our medical teams see on the ground and their work in the medical facilities we support. Hence, we have been speaking out about the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We speak out when we witness unacceptable suffering, attacks on healthcare facilities, the denial of access to healthcare facilities, and when warring parties fail to protect civilians.

Throughout our activities in Gaza since 7 October 2023, we have never encountered a patient who was presented as being among the hostages. Our work as medics is to provide healthcare to anyone who needs it – any patient is a patient. It is a fundamental principle of medical ethics to provide medical care in the best interest of any patient. We feel for the suffering endured by those who were taken hostage on 7 October 2023, as well as the anguish of their loved ones. Not only since October 2023 but in all contexts and in any situation of conflict, Doctors Without Borders calls for the protection of civilians.

United under a single charter, Doctors Without Borders teams bring together health professionals, logisticians, and administrative staff from dozens of nationalities, both international and locally employed colleagues. After assessing the needs of affected communities, we provide assistance in accordance with medical ethics and the principles of humanitarian action.

Impartiality is the cornerstone of Doctors Without Borders’ mission. We deliver aid without discrimination, prioritising those most immediately at risk. Doctors Without Borders operates with a spirit of neutrality and does not take sides in armed conflicts. However, we may publicly denounce and criticise obstacles to our humanitarian work and violations of international law.

In conflict situations, Doctors Without Borders bears witness to the plight of victims, particularly civilians, and in this respect, we are outspoken.

Our teams report what they see with their own eyes, and what they themselves experience, in Gaza and the West Bank. Numerous observers, legal experts, human rights organisations, and several United Nations reports also describe the total destruction of the Gaza Strip. This includes Israel’s dismantling of the health system, siege imposed on the territory, disregard for civilians and civilian infrastructure, and man-made famine, which are all part of a genocidal campaign.