Doctors Without Borders Rejects Lobby Group’s Push for UK Ban

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKFLI) submitted a report claiming that Fadi Al Wadiya and Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al Shalfouh—both killed by Israeli forces—held affiliations with Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, respectively. While a poster naming Al Wadiya a martyr circulated earlier this year, MSF maintains it had no knowledge of military involvement by its staff. The organization stated that Israeli authorities never presented evidence of such ties, even when requested following the individuals' deaths.

The lobby group's push to designate MSF as a terrorist entity under the Terrorism Act mirrors the government's recent move against the protest group Palestine Action. Such a classification would carry severe criminal penalties, including up to 14 years in prison for supporters or members. Former British Army general Charlie Herbert dismissed the demand as grotesque, highlighting the irony of targeting an organization currently delivering aid across 70 countries, including in Sudan, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since the October 2023 escalation in Gaza, at least 15 MSF personnel have been killed. Critics of the UKFLI report argue the move attempts to delegitimize the group’s work in conflict zones. Researcher Philip Proudfoot defended the medical workers as heroes operating in the world's most isolated outposts, while others noted that the legal campaign signals a widening effort to stifle humanitarian presence in regions affected by the ongoing war.