GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Palestinian Ministry of Health and the organization Médecins Sans Frontières or Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced aligned positions rejecting the sharing or publication of data related to workers in the health and humanitarian sectors, warning of serious risks that threaten the safety of staff and the privacy of individuals, amid escalating Israeli violations and the continued restrictions imposed on humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip.
Position of the Ministry of Health
The Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned the arbitrary Israeli measures represented by demanding the data of workers in the medical and humanitarian fields at international health institutions operating in the Gaza Strip, due to what this entails in terms of violating the security of personal data and posing a direct threat to the personal safety of workers.
The ministry confirmed in a statement that these practices violate the principles of humanitarian work and the provisions of international humanitarian law, which require respect for and protection of medical and humanitarian teams, the safeguarding of the privacy of their data, and refraining from exposing them to any security or professional risks.
The Ministry of Health stressed its full commitment to health and ethical standards governing medical work in all its components, in a manner that ensures the provision of health services to citizens on clear professional and ethical bases, affirming its categorical rejection of sharing or distributing the data of health teams with any entities, due to the potential threat to their personal safety and exposure to danger, in addition to compromising the privacy of personal data.
The ministry called on all international health institutions operating in the Gaza Strip to respect the privacy and confidentiality of their staff data, adhere to international and humanitarian regulations and norms, and fully refrain from publishing or sharing any information related to workers in the health sector.
It concluded by affirming that this position comes amid extremely dangerous humanitarian and security conditions witnessed by the Gaza Strip, which necessitate strengthening the protection of medical teams and avoiding involving them in any practices that compromise their safety or their humanitarian role.
MSF decision
In this context, MSF announced that it will not share a list of the names of its Palestinian and international employees with the Israeli authorities under the current conditions, following several months of unproductive attempts to communicate with the occupation authorities, and in the absence of any guarantees that ensure the safety of its staff or allow it to manage its operations independently.
In March, April 2025, the Israeli occupation authorities announced a decision obligating organizations seeking registration to submit personal information about their employees.
From the outset, MSF expressed deep concern regarding this measure, especially in light of the intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and attacks faced by workers in the medical and humanitarian sectors.
Since October 2023, 1,700 workers in the health field have been killed, in addition to 15 MSF staff members, as a result of Israeli targeting.
On 30 December, 2025, the Israeli authorities announced the expiration of the previous registration of MSF, which requires the organization to cease its work within 60 days.
The organization mentioned that it informed the Israeli authorities on 23 January of its readiness to share a limited list of the names of Palestinian and international employees as an exceptional measure and according to clear criteria, while giving the highest priority to the safety of its staff.
It said that this position came after “consultations with our Palestinian colleagues, with a firm emphasis on not sharing any information about employees without obtaining explicit consent from the individuals concerned.”
However, the organization said that it became clear in recent days that it was not possible to reach an understanding with the Israeli authorities regarding tangible guarantees.
It confirmed that as a result, and in the absence of these clear guarantees, it decided not to proceed with sharing any information related to employees under the current circumstances.
