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DUBAI: Medecins Sans Frontieres has rejected claims by Israeli authorities that it employed individuals with links to Hamas in Gaza, saying the allegations were only brought to the organization after the accused were killed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedecins Sans Frontieres unequivocally refutes the allegations made by the Israeli authorities that we knowingly hired people with \u2018ties to terrorism,\u2019\u201d MSF told Arab News in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cMSF would never knowingly employ anyone involved in military activities, which contradicts our core values and ethics. The MSF staff members whom Israel has alleged to have \u2018ties to terrorism\u2019 were only reported as such to our organization after they had been killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Friday, British newspaper The Telegraph revealed that Israeli lobby group UK Lawyers for Israel had written to British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging that the humanitarian organization be banned for its links to terrorism.<\/p>\n
A report, produced by UKLFI, alleged links between MSF employees and militant groups, including Fadi Jihad Mohammed Al-Wadiya, an accused Palestinian Islamic Jihad member who was killed in Gaza City last year.<\/p>\n
Al-Wadiya, a physiotherapist employed by MSF from 2018 to 2022 and again from Oct. 7, 2023, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on June 25, 2024. MSF condemned the strike at the time.<\/p>\n
MSF initially rejected claims linking Al-Wadiya to the group. However, on Feb. 24 this year, Palestinian Islamic Jihad published a poster naming him as a \u201cmartyr commander\u201d and identifying him as deputy head of its military manufacturing unit.<\/p>\n
The charity later updated its post about Al-Wadiya, who remained listed as an employee on its website, to note that Palestinian Islamic Jihad had publicly stated on Feb. 24, 2026, that he had been a member of the group.<\/p>\n
The report also accused Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al-Shalfouh, an MSF driver, of being a sniper for the Hamas Jabaliya battalion.<\/p>\n
MSF questioned the reliability as well as the intention of Israeli authorities, who failed to consult with the organization prior to killing the supposed members.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Israeli authorities had reliable information about any MSF staff involvement in military activity, they never shared it with us before their deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization told Arab News that the latest allegations were part of a broader disinformation and smear campaign seeking to discredit it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor months, MSF has been the target of a disinformation campaign, and we strongly condemn the intentional spread of false allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded in 1971, MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides emergency healthcare in conflict zones, disease outbreaks and other crises.<\/p>\n
In Gaza, MSF\u2019s teams provide surgical care, wound and burn treatment, maternal and pediatric services, physiotherapy, vaccinations, mental health support, water and sanitation assistance, and treatment for chronic diseases through hospitals, field hospitals and clinics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n