The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has decided to stop the operations of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Gaza Strip. Arutz Sheva spoke with the ministry’s Director General, Avi Cohen Scali, about the decision, the organization’s activity, and similar groups operating in the region.
“By the end of February, the organization is required to leave the Strip and cease all of its activities there," Cohen Scali says. Explaining how the decision will be enforced, he adds: “This organization operates by bringing in doctors from various places around the world and receiving authorization to run hospitals and clinics. We have stopped its ability to bring teams inside. They come for three weeks or a month and then return to their home countries. Today, that rotation is no longer possible, and they cannot stay indefinitely. They will have to leave, and no others will be allowed to replace them."
Cohen Scali stresses that this is not the only organization affected; it is simply the most vocal one, which is why more attention has been given to the decision regarding it. In practice, the activities of about ten organizations have been halted due to various reasons, including some form of connection to terrorist organizations, security restrictions on their employees, accusations against Israel of genocide, calls to boycott Israel, and additional considerations.
Addressing the specific case of Doctors Without Borders, Cohen Scali notes that the decision followed revelations that “two of its employees were found to be individuals who in the morning worked as a nurse or medic for the organization and in the evening were terrorists-one with Islamic Jihad and one with Hamas. Both were captured by the IDF, and one was eliminated."
According to Cohen Scali, such a decision is made when Israel is confronted with an organization that does not understand Israel’s obligation to protect its citizens and soldiers. He explains that the decision was reached following consultations within an interministerial team that includes representatives from various government ministries and bodies: the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, the IDF, the Shin Bet, and others. Each body examines the issue from its own perspective and presents its conclusions. Ultimately, a decision is made that is backed by the Prime Minister and coordinated with the Americans.
Cohen Scali acknowledges that Israel is expected to face pressure following the decision, along with claims in Israeli media that there will now be no one to care for sick and wounded Gazans. To this, he responds: “We are not leaving Gaza without humanitarian assistance, but the aid will be provided by legitimate organizations. Even if they are not pro-Israel, they must not act against the State of Israel in an active manner." He adds that in some sectors of the Israeli media, Palestinian Arab interests outweigh Israeli ones, and this, in his view, fuels much of the criticism. “We have faced much greater pressure in the past, and we withstood it."
Meanwhile, he says, “We have approved three or four medical organizations, the Rafah Crossing has been opened, and those who pass through will be patients in need of special treatment. Each patient leaves with two escorts to Egypt, and some are sent abroad." He also notes that the current reality is not one of active fighting in the Strip, and therefore