Doctors Without Borders denies knowledge of staffer's alleged terrorist ties after IDF releases images
The medical charity Doctors Without Borders denied it had prior knowledge about one of its staffer’s alleged ties to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad after reports surfaced following his death by an Israeli air strike that the employee was a prominent member of the terrorist organization.
Physiotherapist Fadi Al-Wadiya worked with Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French name, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), between 2018 and 2022. Al-Wadiya rejoined the organization amid the war between Israel and Hamas, which began after the terror group’s slaughter of 1,200 people, including 31 Americans, in Israel on Oct. 7.
In a Thursday statement, the aid group claimed that it found the allegations about Al-Wadiya’s involvement with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group concerning and said it's “taking them very seriously.” MSF also denied any prior knowledge about the staffer’s reported military activities.
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“MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity,” the aid group stated. “Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and patients. All employees are asked to undertake a commitment to the MSF Charter, which includes respecting humanitarian principles and medical ethics.”
“MSF has reached out to Israeli authorities asking for clarifications about the circumstances of Al-Wadiya's killing, however no formal explanation has been received. MSF is looking forward to full transparency around the circumstances of this killing,” the statement continued. “Only an independent investigation can establish the facts. The same strike that killed Al-Wadiya killed five other people, including three children.”
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment. This article will be updated once a response is received.
Earlier this week, MSF International initially stated on X that it was “outraged” over the death of one of its staffers, claiming that Al-Wadiya was biking to work when he was killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza. On Wednesday, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s spokesman for Arab media, released images on X of Al-Wadiya wearing the uniform of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group.
According to the IDF spokesman, Al-Wadiya worked for more than 15 years in the Islamic Jihad’s manufacturing system, and was considered to be the organization’s expert on electronics and chemistry. Adraee said that the Doctors Without Borders staffer was “a prominent saboteur within the missile system of Islamic Jihad.”
“No matter how much Doctors Without Borders tries to consider Al-Wadiya an innocent healer who saved lives, he is a dangerous saboteur who once again reminds us of the way terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip exploit international relief organizations by describing them as a ‘human shield,’” Adraee wrote.
In a separate post on Tuesday, the IDF’s X account responded to MSF International and asserted that Al-Wadiya was a “significant terrorist” in Islamic Jihad. The IDF warned the aid group to verify the types of people it hires.
“[Al-Wadiya] advanced the terrorist organization’s rocket array, also known as a way to endanger the lives of civilians,” the IDF wrote. “He is just another case of terrorists in Gaza exploiting the civilian population as human shields.”
As Israel continues its military offensive in Gaza to eradicate Hamas, the IDF has released photos and videos of children’s playgrounds and other residential areas that Hamas used as rocket launching sites. One of the videos the IDF shared in November showed soldiers walking around a building featuring paintings of children dressed in scout uniforms, a location that also contained rocket launchers.
“This is what we are finding in Gaza,” one of the IDF soldiers in the video said. “A building where children play is a Hamas rocket launching site. You have to see it to believe it.”
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has claimed that over 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the war began. However, these numbers do not distinguish between civilians and terrorist operatives, making this data's accuracy difficult to verify. Many speculate the death toll numbers Hamas is distributing to the press are not accurate. .
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
