Doctors Without Borders said in a statement on that it has suspended non-critical medical activities at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis due to the presence of armed men at the medical facility and “a recent situation of suspicion of movement of weapons.” The aid group said that armed men have additionally been arresting patients. MSF’s statement appeared to mark the first time that an international humanitarian group in Gaza has publicly reported the presence of armed men in a hospital or the possible use of such a facility for moving weapons.
“In recent months, in Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, patients and MSF personnel have seen armed men, some masked, in different areas of the large compound of the hospital. This had not been in areas where MSF has activities, but in other parts of the hospital compound,” Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said in the statement explaining its decision to halt work at the Nasser Hospital since January 20.
MSF has been a key provider of medical and humanitarian aid in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel triggered a two-year war in the enclave. Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in October, though both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations. “With an uptick since the ceasefire, 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,” the humanitarian organization said. “These incidents pose serious security threats to our teams and patients.” (Read More)
