Gaza doctor says MSF decision to pull out of key hospital leaves staff vulnerable to IDF attack

As hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza dismantle await handling below hard circumstances and dwindling away supplies, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced it is scaling down operations at one of the region's biggest medical facilities, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

The statement goes on to say that MSF personnel as well as patients “have seen armed gunmen, some masked, in the different areas of the large compound of the hospital.” 

MSF said it had seen an “uptick” in the presence of armed gunmen in the hospital since the ceasefire began on Oct. 11, 2025. 

It says its team reported a pattern of “unacceptable acts including the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients and a recent situation of movement of weapons.”

The presence of armed gunmen in hospitals and other public institutions has been a point of contention between warring factions in Gaza for years. Israel has justified its strikes on hospitals by claiming they were being used by Hamas militants, while staff in the hospitals and the Health Ministry denied militants' presence and claimed the attacks were war crimes. 

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Dr. Muhammad Saqr, a physician at Nasser, said MSF’s statement came as a surprise to staff at the hospital. 

Saqr said that during MSF’s 20-month presence at Nasser Hospital, there have only been two “exceptional” instances, which were dealt with immediately. 

“Sometimes you see armed people inside the [courtyard] coming to the emergency department,” he said. “We quickly and immediately ask the armed people to leave the hospital, and they do.” 

Saqr called the MSF statement “false” and rejected the accusations it detailed. 

“We assure that Nasser medical complex is only a humanitarian and health institution according to international laws and regulations,” he said.

In a post on social media site Telegram, Hamas also denied MSF's claims, saying the ministry of Interior and National Security was making “continuous and intensive efforts to ensure the absence of any armed presence” in hospitals in Gaza. 

The statement went on to say that the ministry is “fully committed” to maintaining the sanctity of its hospital and “protecting them as purely humanitarian spaces.” 

Finally, Hamas said it had deployed a police force to monitor and maintain law and order and take “necessary measures” against violators of these rules. 

In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been sounding the alarm for two years about the “cynical use by terrorist organizations in Gaza of hospitals and humanitarian shelters as human shields.” 

The statement also said that following MSF’s comments, the IDF has intelligence “indicating that Nasser hospital is being used as a headquarters and military post for senior Hamas commanders and operatives.”

MSF said it had been in direct contact with “relevant authorities” about what its teams were seeing on the ground. 

However, the organization says that based on its observations, “we do not have sufficient evidence to conclude that the hospital was being used by armed groups for military purposes.” 

MSF called on both Hamas and Israel to ensure the protection of civilians and said Nasser Hospital is a “vital lifeline” for Palestinians in Gaza. 

The scaling down of operations at the hospital will put an end to MSF support in paediatrics and the maternity wards, including the neonatal ICU. It also affects outpatient consultations, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, 3D burn screening and mental health activities. 

It's part of a larger drawdown. MSF says all its foreign staff will be evacuated from the Gaza Strip by March 1. The decision comes in response to Israel’s latest requests that aid organizations submit lists of their Palestinian staff as part of a registration process to enter Gaza. MSF is among 53 NGOs who have refused to register and thus will have to leave Gaza. 

Israel claims MSF knowingly employed people involved in military activities. MSF has denied the allegations, saying that would contradict the organization's “core values and ethics.” 

In a statement published on Jan. 2, MSF said withholding registration for NGOs is a “cynical and calculated” attempt to stop organizations from providing services in Gaza and the West Bank and is in breach of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.  

Producer

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