Medical teams from Médecins Sans Frontières say they will continue operating in Gaza for as long as circumstances allow, even as new restrictions sharply limit their ability to function. The organisation’s mission chief for Palestine, Filipe Ribeiro, said staff remain on the ground and are determined to sustain life-saving work amid the devastation left by two years of genocidal war.

Since the beginning of the year, MSF has been unable to bring international staff into Gaza, while those currently present are expected to leave by the end of the month without replacement. The organisation is also barred from importing medical equipment, medicines and supplies, leaving teams dependent on dwindling stockpiles. These measures, MSF warns, are already disrupting services in a territory where hospitals have been shattered and basic healthcare barely survives.

MSF cautioned that a forced withdrawal would leave an enormous gap in an already collapsed health system. With public services unable to cope, humanitarian organisations have become a critical lifeline for civilians. In 2025 alone, MSF provided hundreds of thousands of medical consultations, treated large numbers of trauma patients and assisted thousands of births, underscoring the scale of need that would go unmet should operations be halted.

The restrictions are part of broader regulations targeting international organisations working in Gaza, with concerns growing that similar rules could later be extended to the occupied West Bank. MSF has repeatedly warned that limiting humanitarian action in the midst of a genocidal war risks deepening civilian suffering and accelerating the breakdown of essential services.