Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) expects to be barred from operating in Gaza after missing Israel’s December 31 deadline to comply with new registration rules for international relief agencies. Israeli authorities say the measures are intended to prevent Hamas from exploiting humanitarian aid, but MSF warns the move would cut off life-saving medical care for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Read More: Gaza doctors left in the dark as fuel shortages hit hospitals
The medical charity said it provided care to nearly half a million people during the two-year Gaza war and that deregistration would have a devastating impact as the humanitarian crisis deepens. MSF said preventing it from working in Gaza would deprive civilians of access to essential medical services at a time when hospitals and clinics are already overwhelmed.
Israeli authorities are set to ban Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) from operating in Gaza once it misses Wednesday's deadline to comply with new registration rules for relief agencies set by the occupation's authorities.
The organization,… pic.twitter.com/sfCAnUeUg0
— KUWAIT TIMES (@kuwaittimesnews) December 30, 2025
COGAT, the Israeli military agency coordinating aid, said MSF failed to provide the Diaspora Affairs Ministry with a list of its employees as required under the new system. The ministry has alleged that individuals affiliated with MSF have links to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, accusations the organisation has rejected as unsubstantiated. MSF declined to say whether it had submitted staff names.
Concerns over staff safety have also been raised by other aid groups. In May, Oxfam warned that sharing detailed employee information could expose humanitarian workers to serious risks, particularly following deadly attacks on aid staff in Gaza.
MSF is not alone in facing possible deregistration. Dozens of international organisations risk being barred from operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank if they failed to meet the new criteria. The Norwegian Refugee Council and Oxfam said they are preparing for potential deregistration, which could force office closures and restrict the entry of foreign aid workers.
Read More: Over 10,000 in Gaza need urgent treatment abroad, says WHO
International concern is growing. Britain, France, Canada and other countries said Israel should allow non-governmental organisations to operate in a predictable and sustained manner, citing alarm over Gaza’s worsening humanitarian situation. Israeli authorities say aid deliveries will continue through registered organisations and UN channels.