New Israeli registration rules for international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) pose a significant threat to healthcare access for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Gaza Healthcare at Risk
The new requirements, set to take effect January 1, could lead to the withdrawal of registration for INGOs, preventing organizations like MSF from providing essential services. With Gaza’s health system already severely damaged, the loss of independent humanitarian aid would be devastating, MSF warns.
“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.
MSF teams are working to expand activities and support Gaza’s health system. In 2025 alone, they carried out almost 800,000 outpatient consultations and handled more than 100,000 trauma cases. If registration is maintained, MSF plans to continue strengthening its activities in 2026.
In 2025, MSF provided a vast amount of care, including over 100,000 trauma cases, management of over 400 beds, 22,700 surgical operations on nearly 10,000 patients, almost 800,000 outpatient consultations, 45,000 vaccinations, assistance with over 10,000 deliveries, more than 40,000 individual mental health sessions, group sessions for over 60,000 people, distribution of over 700 million litres of water, and production of nearly 100 million litres of clean water.
MSF has committed an estimated 100-120 million euros for its humanitarian response in Gaza for 2026. Many of the services provided by MSF are largely unavailable elsewhere in Gaza due to the destruction of the health system.
The loss of MSF’s access to Gaza could leave a large portion of the population without critical medical care, water, and support. MSF’s activities currently serve nearly half a million people in Gaza by supporting the damaged health system.
MSF is currently supporting six public hospitals and runs two field hospitals in Gaza, as well as four general healthcare centres and an inpatient feeding centre for those with malnutrition. Six new medical points providing wound care and other general health care services have recently been opened. MSF has been working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1989 and continues to seek constructive engagement with Israeli authorities to maintain its operations.
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