Israel’s new registration requirements for international non-governmental organisations risk leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza without lifesaving healthcare in 2026, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned.
On Monday, it said that the new rules could lead to the withdrawal of registration for INGOs starting January 1, a move that would prevent organisations, including MSF, from providing essential services in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
"With Gaza’s health system already destroyed, independent and experienced humanitarian organisations losing access to respond would be a disaster for Palestinians," the statement said.
"MSF calls on the Israeli authorities to ensure that INGOs can maintain and continue their impartial and independent response in Gaza," it added.
MSF warned that the already restricted humanitarian response “cannot be further dismantled.”
“In the last year, MSF teams have treated hundreds of thousands of patients and delivered hundreds of millions of litres of water,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator for Gaza.
Critical health emergency
MSF teams are seeking to expand support for Gaza’s shattered health system, having carried out nearly 800,000 outpatient consultations and treated more than 100,000 trauma cases in 2025, and plan to continue strengthening their activities in 2026 if registration is granted, she added.
"If MSF loses its access to Gaza in 2026, due to the Israeli authorities, a large portion of people in Gaza will lose access to critical medical care, water, and lifesaving support. MSF’s activities serve nearly half a million people in Gaza through our vital support to the destroyed health system," the statement added.
The Israeli army has killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded over 171,000 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Israel continues to violate the agreement by failing to allow in the agreed quantities of medical aid trucks, deepening what the Health Ministry described as a critical and ongoing health emergency.
