Israel Orders Doctors Without Borders to Leave Gaza Over Staff List Dispute

Israeli officials say the medical charity violated registration rules meant to increase transparency around staffing.

A flag with the logo of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), an international humanitarian aid organization, flies over a mock refugee camp set up along the boardwalk of Santa Monica, Calif., on Oct. 26, 2000. Lee Celano/AFP

Israel said on Feb. 1 that it would terminate the activities of Doctors Without Borders in the Gaza Strip after the international medical charity declined to provide a list of its staff working in the territory.

The decision, announced by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, requires the agency, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), to cease operations and depart the Gaza Strip by Feb. 28, according to a government statement published on Feb. 1.

The move follows an Israeli suspension on Dec. 30, 2025, of more than two dozen international humanitarian organizations from operating in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank for failing to comply with new registration requirements.

The Israeli government said the requirements, announced in March 2025, were designed to increase transparency around staffing, funding, and operations in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has long accused the Hamas terrorist group of diverting aid, embedding operatives within civilian institutions, and using humanitarian infrastructure for military purposes.

In separate statements on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, MSF and Israeli officials presented differing accounts of whether the organization had engaged in required registration procedures and whether sharing staff information would endanger humanitarian workers.

Israel Cites Registration Violations

The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said that MSF committed to submitting lists of local employees in early January and that the lists were to be submitted by Jan. 27.

“Contrary to the organization’s claims, these employee lists are not shared with external parties and are used solely for internal purposes,” the ministry stated.

As a result, the organization must cease operations and depart the Gaza Strip by Feb. 28, while authorities assess “alternative medical solutions to ensure the continuity of humanitarian aid” after its departure.

Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said the requirement was rooted in security concerns.

“Humanitarian aid, yes,“ Chikli said. ”Security blindness, no.”

He noted that MSF was “once again demonstrating a lack of transparency” and alleged that the organization employs individuals “active in terrorist organizations,” which he said is why it has withheld employee lists.

MSF Cites Staff Safety Concerns

MSF cited safety and operational independence concerns as it announced that it would not share its staff lists. The decision comes after “many months of unsuccessful engagement with Israeli authorities,” the agency said in a statement.

MSF said it informed Israeli authorities on Jan. 23 that it would be prepared to share a defined list as an “exceptional measure,” provided that there were clear safeguards to protect staff safety and that it had the consent of those involved.

However, the organization said it could not obtain guarantees that the staff information would be used solely for administrative purposes, that MSF would keep full control over its personnel and medical supplies, and that public statements undermining the group would stop.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli defense body responsible for implementing government policy in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, disputed MSF’s account of its engagement with authorities.

In a Feb. 1 post on X, COGAT said MSF “has not officially approached Israeli authorities or submitted the list of local employees, despite its announcement [that it] will do so.”

It said “public statements cannot substitute for formal processes” and accused MSF of playing “publicity games instead of complying with the registration process.”

COGAT also said that the “continued withholding of basic staff information raises serious questions on the involvement of MSF staff with Hamas” and noted that Hamas had released a statement on the same day that urged organizations not to share local employee information lists, suggesting a possible connection.

Rafah Crossing

Separately, on Feb. 1, COGAT said the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt had reopened for the movement of people only.

“Today, a pilot is underway to test and assess the operation of the crossing,“ COGAT said in an X post. ”The movement of residents in both directions, entry and exit to and from Gaza, is expected to begin tomorrow.”

Entry into and exit from the Gaza Strip via Rafah will be allowed in coordination with Egypt and under the oversight of the European Union mission after individuals receive security clearance from Israel, similar to the process used in January 2025.

The crossing has been closed since May 7, 2024, amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, described the Rafah crossing reopening as a “concrete and positive step” in the Gaza peace plan.

“The EU’s civilian mission is on the ground to monitor crossing operations and support Palestinian border guards,” she said in a Feb. 2 post on X. “For Gaza’s sick and wounded, the reopening is a lifeline. It will allow families to reunite after far too long apart.

“Practical steps like this help move the truce plan forward and must continue. At the same time, Gaza remains in urgent need of aid. Its reconstruction will depend on Hamas’ demilitarization.”