Israel announced it will terminate the operations of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza by February 28, citing the humanitarian organization’s failure to provide employee information required by Israeli authorities.

Staff Registration Dispute Leads to Ban

The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism confirmed Sunday that Doctors Without Borders, known internationally as Médecins Sans Frontières, must cease Gaza operations after refusing to submit detailed staff lists. Israel required all humanitarian organizations to provide information about Palestinian employees by December, affecting 37 aid groups in total. The ministry stated the organization initially committed to sharing staff information in early January but later withdrew from the registration process entirely, citing safety concerns for employees.

Israel 🇮🇱 has banned 37 humanitarian organisations from operating in Gaza 🇵🇸

The list includes Oxfam & Doctors Without Borders

It’s a genocide. Pure & simple

Expel 🇮🇱 from the UN
Boycott 🇮🇱 now
The Hague for Netanyahu & all who partnered with him, now.pic.twitter.com/OvaF153Ihr

— Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) January 27, 2026

Israeli officials previously alleged that two organization employees maintained connections with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, claims the charity has categorically denied. The humanitarian group expressed concerns about how employee information would be used and demanded assurances about staff safety that Israeli authorities did not provide. This registration requirement applies to all international aid organizations seeking to operate in the region.

Critical Medical Services at Risk

Doctors Without Borders currently provides approximately twenty percent of hospital beds in Gaza and operates roughly twenty health centers throughout the territory. The organization conducted over 800,000 medical consultations and assisted with more than 10,000 infant deliveries in 2025 alone, while also supplying drinking water to residents. Fifteen organization staff members have died during the ongoing conflict that began on October 7, 2023, according to organizational records.

Emergency physician James Smith described the decision as part of the systematic weaponization of humanitarian aid, noting that over 1,700 Palestinian healthcare workers have died during the conflict. Aid organizations warn that losing international medical support could cause the complete collapse of emergency care, maternal healthcare, and pediatric treatment services. The ban affects hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents who depend on international humanitarian assistance for basic medical care and survival needs in the besieged territory.