“Absolutely devastating”. Israel bans aid orgs from Gaza, publishes Aussie antisemites list
Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that Israel’s suspension of NGO operations in Gaza would be “absolutely devastating”. Stephanie Tran It reports on Australia’s reaction to Israel’s expulsion of humanitarian organisations.
Israel announced overnight that it was banning the world’s leading humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, from entering Gaza (Médecins Sans Frontières), World Vision, Oxfam, Caritas and more than two dozen others. For antisemitism.
Ashley Killeen, director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Australia and New Zealand, said MSF was continuing its activities in Gaza but was undecided on whether it would be allowed to stay.
“We will continue to operate in Gaza unless we hear otherwise,” Killeen said. “We are awaiting official communication from Israeli authorities regarding whether we have received a recording.”
Israel said it would stop operations 37 international humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip as of January 1, 2026, accusing them of not meeting new requirements introduced By the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism.
new regulations need They are required to provide aid groups with detailed information about their staff, funding and activities, and include conditions that organizations “not engage in any activities or criticism that delegitimizes the state of Israel.”
The Israeli Ministry also came under fire for issuing a statement on Monday. report names dozens of Australians as “the primary creators of anti-Semitism and delegitimization in Australia”.
Killeen said MSF was currently in a “gray area” after the December 31 deadline set by Israeli authorities.
“December 31st was the deadline, so I’m sure we’ll find out in the next 24 hours,” he said. “But what we can say is that if this were to come into effect, it would be absolutely devastating.”
MSF is one of the largest medical service providers operating in Gaza. The organization currently supports six hospitals and two field hospitals, offering a scale of care that is impossible to replace, Killeen said.
“We performed 800,000 outpatient examinations in 2025,
She has undergone 100,000 trauma surgeries and delivered 10,000 babies.
“This gives you an idea of the huge void that will be created when we are told we have to stop these operations,” he said.
Gaza’s health system is heavily dependent on international NGOs; local facilities have been destroyed, damaged or destroyed.
“We are experienced in working in these types of situations where much of the infrastructure and medical facilities are destroyed,” Killeen said. “So to be able to replace that, frankly, I’m not quite sure how that’s going to happen.”
“The people of Gaza are dependent on these international NGOs. This is not a complementary service, but a basic service.
“And if he’s not there, it’s scary to think about what will happen to these people.”
Killeen expressed concern that organizations similar to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) could be brought in to fill the gaps left by NGOs. In August, UN called For the distribution of GHF following the killing of 859 Palestinians while searching for food in GHF areas.
“We know that interventions have been launched, such as so-called ‘humanitarian centres’ where people go to buy food and are met with gunshots,” he said. “The possibility of this kind of solution is frightening.”
MSF has been operating in Gaza since 1989 and employs a Palestinian workforce, the majority of whom are unable to leave the area.
“We will do everything to stay in Gaza,” Killeen said. “The majority of the people working for MSF in Gaza are Palestinians. They cannot leave. We go in and complement that with international staff, but these are the people who are there, their families are there.
“To no longer be there and no longer provide that service is more than just taking away people’s lifeline. It’s tearing apart the fabric of society.”
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Stephanie is a journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that will hold the power to account. With experience in both law and journalism, he worked at The Guardian and worked as a paralegal, where he assisted Crikey’s defense team in the high-profile libel case brought by Lachlan Murdoch. His reporting has been recognized nationally, earning him the 2021 Guardians of Democracy Award for Student Investigative Reporting and a nomination for the 2021 Walkley Student Journalist of the Year Award.
