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The MSF hospital in Agok is the only facility providing secondary care in the entire Abyei region of South Sudan. This structure deals with emergencies, surgeries, treatments of HIV, tuberculosis, chronic diseases as well as neglected diseases, such as snake bites, a real scourge in the region. In 2019, in order to improve the quality of care, a radiology room was set up and the pharmacy was extended. A lack of specialized structures in the surrounding states forces some patients to travel very long distances to get to Agok hospital, some have to walk for up to 10 hours. This phenomenon illustrates the need for a comprehensive hospital in a country where health care is almost non-existent
© MSF/Laurence Hoenig

Response to GHF allegations regarding MSF activities at Nasser hospital

© MSF/Laurence Hoenig
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Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) categorically rejects the false accusation made by a spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in interviews on Times Radio Breakfast and Channel 4 on Thursday, 14 August, alleging that MSF doctors at Nasser hospital refused to treat wounded GHF personnel because of their affiliation. While the spokesperson did not specify when this alleged incident occurred, we are aware of similar false allegations that circulated locally inside Gaza, Palestine, on 11 June, after GHF reported that a bus carrying its Palestinian personnel was attacked leaving five fatalities and multiple injuries.

The claims against MSF are false.

On 10 June, after weeks of intense Israeli bombardment, including two direct attacks targeting Nasser hospital, and movement restrictions and displacement orders in the vicinity of the facility in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, MSF announced the relocation of some of our activities to our field hospital in Deir Al-Balah to protect patients and staff. At that moment, our work at Nasser hospital was intermittent due to insecurity and movement restrictions, and our activities were limited to the maternity and paediatric wards. Furthermore, MSF staff have not been present in the emergency department of Nasser hospital since 2024, which further debunks this baseless accusation.

To date, we have seen no credible evidence that healthcare was refused by Ministry of Health or other medical staff. Should proof emerge of such an act, it would constitute a clear breach of the core humanitarian principles of impartiality and medical ethics. Impartiality is one of the key principles guiding MSF’s work, it means treating people based on medical need alone, no matter their religion, race, or political affiliation.

This outrageous lie is no more than an attempt to distract from the systematic violence and orchestrated killings that are carried out daily at GHF-run sites. In the first seven weeks since GHF started operating in Gaza, MSF staff in just two of our clinics received 28 people who were killed around GHF distributions, and treated 1,380 injured patients, including 71 children with gunshot wounds. We treat only a fraction of the total number of people killed and injured at these sites.

For the past 22 months, NGOs and humanitarian organisations working in Gaza and the West Bank have consistently faced intimidation, pressure, and smear campaigns that have often been baseless and inaccurate. This is just the latest in such disinformation spread by Israel and the GHF.