Gaza City, February 29, 2024 — A deepening health crisis looms in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians potentially losing access to vital medical care. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) issued a stark warning Thursday, attributing the escalating threat to restrictions imposed on international humanitarian organizations.
Worsening Conditions Threaten Essential Care
The humanitarian organization fears widespread disruption of medical services if limitations on NGO operations continue.
- MSF supports one in five hospital beds and one in three births in Gaza.
- In 2025, MSF teams provided nearly 800,000 outpatient consultations.
- The organization is awaiting renewal of its registration, now subject to new requirements.
- Restrictions on humanitarian access exacerbate existing challenges in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“People need more services, not fewer. If MSF and other NGOs lose access, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be deprived of essential care,” MSF stated in a public release Thursday. The organization is currently awaiting the renewal of its registration, a process now complicated by new requirements imposed by authorities, specifically the submission of detailed staff lists.
What is the current state of healthcare access for Palestinians? Access to essential medical services is severely threatened, with hundreds of thousands potentially losing care due to restrictions on international aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders.
A Critical Role in a Strained System
MSF plays a pivotal role in Gaza’s already fragile healthcare system. The organization currently supports one in five hospital beds and assists with one in three births within the Palestinian enclave. These services are increasingly at risk as bureaucratic hurdles mount.
Figures released by MSF demonstrate the scale of their operations. In 2025 alone, their teams delivered nearly 800,000 outpatient consultations, treated over 100,000 trauma cases, and performed 22,700 surgical interventions. Beyond clinical care, MSF also provided assistance with over 10,000 births and distributed nearly 700 million liters of water to the population.
Quick fact: MSF assisted with more than 10,000 births in Gaza during 2025, highlighting their crucial role in maternal healthcare.
MSF reaffirmed the urgent need for unimpeded humanitarian access to effectively address the growing needs of civilian populations. The organization emphasized that the ongoing occupation and continued aggression against the Palestinian territories are key factors driving the escalating crisis.
