Two Doctors Without Borders staffers identified as terrorists

On Jan. 1, Jerusalem began began enforcing a new regulatory framework for NGOs working in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria, suspending licenses of groups that “failed to meet required security and transparency standards.”

By JNS

Israel’s Foreign Ministry over the weekend presented evidence alleging that officials with the Doctors Without Borders NGO in the Gaza Strip were simultaneously members of Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Fadi al-Wadiya was employed by the Geneva-based humanitarian group while serving as a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist, the ministry said in a post on X, sharing a picture of him in military fatigues.

Al-Wadiya was responsible for furthering the Iranian-controlled terrorist organization’s rocket capabilities, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif al-Shalfouh worked for Doctors Without Borders while at the same time serving in Hamas as a sniper during terroristic “combat and operational activity,” the Foreign Ministry said.

“This is why strict vetting and real accountability of humanitarian staff are essential,” the X post concluded. “Aid must never be a cover for terror.”

On Thursday, the NGO Monitor watchdog identified four Doctors Without Borders staffers as members of Gaza-based terrorist groups.

In addition to al-Wadiya, NGO Monitor named Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, a top figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); Mazab Bashir, who confessed to and was indicted over an assassination plot targeting then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert; and Hani Majdalawi, a Gazan nurse who opened fire on Israeli troops.

In February 2024, in response to a question concerning its relationship with terrorist organizations, Doctors Without Borders admitted that it continued to work with the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, which it called “the governing authority responsible for health care.”

On Jan. 1, Jerusalem began enforcing a new regulatory framework for NGOs working in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria, suspending licenses of groups that “failed to meet required security and transparency standards.”

The move followed findings that employees of several NGOs operating primarily with the Palestinian population were involved in terrorist activity, according to an interministerial review process led by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

“Security reviews revealed that employees of certain organizations were involved in terrorist activity. In particular, investigations determined that individuals affiliated with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were linked to terrorist organizations, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas (one identified as a Hamas sniper),” the ministry stated.

The revised framework requires full transparency regarding personnel, funding sources, and operational structures.

Engagement in activities such as delegitimization of Israel, legal action against Israel Defense Forces troops, Holocaust denial, or denial of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas atrocities also constitutes grounds for license revocation.

“I am proud that the government has entrusted my ministry with leading this effort to prevent the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorist purposes,” said Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli.

“Humanitarian assistance is welcome—the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not.”