Israel bans Doctors Without Borders from Gaza because of refusal to provide staff list

Renowned medical aid agency explains why

MSF statement on sharing staff information and humanitarian operations in Palestine

Following many months of unsuccessful engagement with Israeli authorities, and in the absence of securing assurances to ensure the safety of our staff or the independent management of our operations, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has concluded that it will not share a list of its Palestinian and international staff with Israeli authorities in the current circumstances.

In March 2025, Israeli authorities announced that organizations seeking registration would be required to provide personal information about their staff. From the outset, MSF raised serious concerns about this request in a context where medical and humanitarian workers have been intimidated, arbitrarily detained, and attacked. Since October 2023, 1,700 health staff have been killed, as well as 15 MSF colleagues. On 30 December, Israeli authorities announced that MSF's previous registration had lapsed and was therefore expected to cease operations within 60 days.

In an effort to explore every possible option – however limited – to continue providing critical medical care, MSF informed Israeli authorities on 23 January that, as an exceptional measure, MSF 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 in recent days 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 MSF 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. No staff information has been shared with the Israeli authorities in this process. 

In the midst of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and extreme violence against healthcare workers, Israeli authorities are forcing humanitarian organizations into an impossible choice – forced to choose between sharing this information about our staff or interrupting critical medical care. 

If MSF is expelled from Gaza and the West Bank it would have a devastating impact, as Palestinians face a brutal winter amidst destroyed homes and urgent humanitarian needs. Humanitarian conditions remain extreme: nearly 500 people have been killed since October, basic services including food, water, shelter, healthcare, fuel, and livelihoods have been largely destroyed, and the health system is nearly non-functional, with many specialized services, such as burn care, unavailable. In 2025, MSF provided 800,000 consultations, assisted in one in three births, and supported one in five hospital beds—services that cannot be easily replaced.

MSF remains open to ongoing dialogue with Israeli authorities to maintain our critical medical operations in Gaza and the West Bank, and to ensure that MSF can continue delivering essential, lifesaving medical care to those in desperate need.