JERUSALEM: Israel has banned the medical charity Doctors Without Borders from operating in the Gaza Strip, ordering it to halt its activities and leave the enclave by February 28, Israeli officials said on Monday.
Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said the decision followed the charity’s refusal to provide staff lists to Israeli authorities, a requirement it said applies to all humanitarian organisations working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, reports Anadolu.
In a statement cited by the Israeli daily Maariv, the ministry said MSF declined to submit details of its local employees, describing the move as necessary to prevent the misuse of humanitarian cover for “hostile or terrorist purposes”.
The ministry claimed the information would be used only internally and not shared with external parties.
MSF said on Friday it would not hand over lists of its Palestinian and international staff, citing Israel’s refusal to provide guarantees for staff safety or assurances that the organisation could operate independently.
One of the largest humanitarian groups providing medical care in Gaza, MSF warned that halting its work would severely affect already limited health services in the besieged territory, where hospitals and clinics have been repeatedly damaged or destroyed.
Israel’s war on Gaza, now in its second year, has killed nearly 71,800 Palestinians and wounded more than 171,400, according to local health authorities. Around 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, with United Nations estimates putting reconstruction costs at about $70bn.
