Doctors Without Borders halts some work at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital

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Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, said it has suspended some of its noncritical work at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after patients and staff reported seeing armed, masked men roaming parts of the facility. MSF said the suspension, which occurred in January, was prompted by security breaches it said posed “serious” threats to its teams and patients.

In a statement, MSF said it halted those operations because it had received reports that the presence of armed men and related incidents were increasing. The organization said the reports grew after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was reached in October, and it framed the decision as a response to what it called a breakdown of safety in a hospital it described as one of Gaza’s few functioning medical facilities.

Nasser Hospital serves hundreds of patients and war-wounded each day, MSF said, and it has been used as a hub for Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in exchange for Israeli hostages as part of the current ceasefire deal. The Associated Press reported that the suspension was first disclosed when MSF posted information in a “frequently asked questions” section on its website; the site later said the content was updated Feb. 11, while the suspension itself took place in January.

MSF said it could not identify the armed men’s affiliation and that it had raised its concerns with “relevant” authorities without elaborating on what actions were requested. The group also said that hospitals must remain neutral, civilian spaces, and it said its concerns were heightened by what it described as previous deliberate Israeli attacks on health facilities.

“MSF teams have reported a pattern of unacceptable acts including the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients and a recent situation of suspicion of movement of weapons,” MSF said in its statement. The Associated Press reported that hospitals in Gaza have faced repeated allegations of militant activity inside or near their grounds, and that Hamas security men have often been seen inside hospitals, blocking access to some areas.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said it would deploy police to secure hospitals and rid them of armed presence, saying it was implementing stricter measures to ensure patients’ safety. Medical and legal guidance cited by the Associated Press said hospitals have special protections under international law, but they can lose that immunity if combatants use them to hide fighters or store weapons, and it also said warning must be given to allow evacuation before any action.

MSF said it would continue supporting critical services at Nasser Hospital, including inpatient and surgical departments for patients with traumatic or burn injuries. It said it would end support for pediatrics and maternity wards, including the neonatal intensive care unit, and that it had indefinitely suspended outpatient consultations for 3D burn screening and mental health, along with other services.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said MSF’s suspension would have a significant impact. Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the records department at the ministry, said the maternity and burn wards see hundreds of patients admitted daily, and he said the ministry would take over maternity care, while adding that burn victims would have fewer options.

The Associated Press also reported that Israel has tightened restrictions on aid groups operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including by banning MSF and other organizations for failing to comply with registration rules. MSF said Israel’s decision would have a “catastrophic” impact on its work in Gaza, where it provides funding and international staff for six hospitals and operates two field hospitals and eight primary health centers, clinics and medical points, as well as two stabilization centers for children with severe malnutrition.

The ceasefire has remained fragile, with the Associated Press reporting that fighting has eased at some points but Israeli fire has continued almost daily. Gaza health officials said Israeli forces killed 591 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect, and they said the overall death toll is at least 72,051.

Israel’s military said on Saturday that its troops “eliminated” a person in northern Gaza who crossed the line dividing the territory and approached them, and it later said its troops “eliminated” two armed people who had taken cover under debris on the Israeli-controlled side of the line near soldiers. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, said its casualty records are generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, and it does not provide a civilian-versus-militants breakdown. MSI previously reported on a later dispute involving how such allegations affected the hospital and MSF’s role.