JAKARTA - Israeli authorities on Sunday banned the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from operating in the Gaza Strip, ordering the organization to leave the Palestinian enclave by February 28.
The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which oversees affairs with humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank, said the decision was taken after the charity refused to hand over a list of its staff to Tel Aviv.
The ministry's statement, quoted by the Maariv newspaper, said MSF refused "to hand over a list of local employees, a requirement that applies to all humanitarian organizations operating in the region," Anadolu reported (2/2).
The ministry claimed that the action was aimed at "enabling legitimate aid activities while preventing the exploitation of humanitarian cover for hostile or terrorist purposes."
"This employee list is not shared with external parties and is only used for internal purposes," the ministry alleged.
Previously, MSF on Friday said it would not share a list of its Palestinian and international staff with Israel, due to Tel Aviv's refusal to "guarantee the safety of our staff or the independent management of our operations."
MSF is one of the largest humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, and its suspension is expected to cause severe damage to the already scarce medical services in the region.
The two-year Israeli war on Gaza has killed nearly 71,800 Palestinians and injured more than 171,400 people. Israeli attacks have destroyed about 90 percent of Gaza's civilian infrastructure, with the United Nations estimating the reconstruction cost at around $70 billion.
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