Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, Jan 31: Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on Friday said it will not submit lists of its staff demanded by Israel to continue operations in Gaza and the West Bank, citing the lack of assurances regarding the safety of its teams.

MSF, which supports and helps operate hospitals in the Gaza Strip, is among 37 international organisations that Israel directed this month to halt work in the Palestinian territories unless they comply with new registration rules, including sharing employee details. Aid groups have warned that providing such information could endanger staff, especially amid the ongoing war in Gaza in which hundreds of aid workers have been killed or injured.

Israel’s diaspora ministry, which oversees the registration process, accused Hamas of exerting pressure on MSF. In a statement to Reuters, the ministry cited a January 29 statement by the Gaza health ministry opposing the sharing of health workers’ data due to safety concerns, though it offered no direct evidence and said MSF had not been in contact with it.

Israeli authorities have said the new registration requirements are intended to prevent diversion of aid by Palestinian armed groups, a claim disputed by humanitarian agencies, which say there is no substantial evidence of aid diversion.

MSF said last week it was willing to share a partial list of Palestinian and international staff who had consented, provided the information was used strictly for administrative purposes and did not put its teams at risk. It also sought to retain control over the management of its medical humanitarian supplies.

“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,” MSF said in a statement.

The organisation warned that barring it from operating would have a devastating impact on humanitarian services in Gaza and the West Bank, where medical needs remain acute amid ongoing hostilities.