Crisis between Doctors Without Borders and the Gaza Ministry of Health
The crisis between Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which is ending its operations in the Gaza Strip, and the Gaza Ministry of Health, has not ended with the organization’s accusations against the ministry regarding Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, nor with the ministry’s denial of those accusations. Officials in Gaza fear that these accusations, coupled with MSF’s decision to halt its medical services, could be a prelude to an Israeli military operation targeting this medical facility, the largest in southern Gaza.
The crisis began when MSF announced the end of its work at Nasser Hospital, not because of Israeli restrictions that forced it to submit to what it described as humiliating licensing procedures, which compromised the privacy of its staff, but rather due to accusations it leveled against the hospital’s administration. Observers believe these accusations could be used as a pretext for an Israeli military operation targeting this hospital, which has suffered extensive damage during the war, the effects of which are still visible. Two days ago, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced the suspension of non-critical medical activities at Nasser Hospital, where it had a medical team under its management and support, providing these services to a large number of patients. The organization claimed that patients and staff had complained of armed men inside the facility, expressing concerns that the medical facility was being used to transport weapons. MSF also reported the presence of armed individuals at the hospital and alleged security breaches within its premises.
In its statement, MSF relayed what it described as accounts from patients and staff who had seen armed men, some masked, in parts of the hospital complex over the past few months.
She stated that since the ceasefire agreement in Gaza came into effect on October 10, her teams have reported “a series of unacceptable incidents, including the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients, and a recent incident involving the suspected transfer of weapons.”
Among her accusations, she said that “armed men have been seen in parts of the medical complex where the organization does not conduct activities, but their presence, along with the suspected transfer of weapons, poses a serious security threat to patients and staff.”
In her statement, the organization stressed the need for hospitals to remain neutral and civilian spaces, free from any military presence or activity, to “ensure the safe and impartial delivery of medical care.”
This aid organization, one of dozens of charities that rejected Israel’s new licensing requirements and were preparing to cease operations entirely, is not accustomed to ending its work in Gaza with such accusations.
The organization’s new stance has raised concerns about what might happen next, as observers do not rule out that Israel might launch an attack on the hospital, similar to its previous attacks during the war, which included storming and occupying hospitals in Gaza, including Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals more than once, after destroying large parts of them and committing massacres inside them.
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