Médecins Sans Frontières UK has denied it “knowingly hired people with ties to terrorism” amid allegations workers at partner organisations in Gaza have been involved in terrorist organisations or have supported acts of terror and those responsible.

The allegations have been made in a report by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and are now the subject of a Charity Commission compliance case.

An MSF spokesperson said: “MSF unequivocally rejects the allegations that we knowingly hired people with ‘ties to terrorism’.

“MSF would never knowingly employ anyone involved in military activities, which contradicts our core values and ethics. Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and patients.”

The Charity Commission has stressed that its investigation is not related to staff members at the charity and is about its due diligence in relation to its work and support for partner organisations.

"We take very seriously any alleged links between a charity and terrorism or unlawful extremism,” said a Charity Commission spokesperson.

“Following concerns raised about Médecins Sans Frontières UK and its trustees’ oversight of relationships with partner organisations, some of which are alleged to have links to proscribed groups, we have opened a regulatory compliance case to examine the matter further. We are engaging with the charity's trustees as we gather more information."

The MSF spokesperson added: “We understand why the Charity Commission is engaging with us in relation to these allegations and we are cooperating fully.

“We are confident in the integrity of our processes. MSF remains fully committed to transparency, regulatory compliance and its charitable mission of providing vital medical assistance to people who need it most.”

UKLFI alleges that charity linked workers have affiliations or have supported with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The lawyers’ groups alleges these workers have either been members of terrorist organisations or have “publicly glorified terrorist attacks and the organisations responsible for them”.

A UKLFI spokesperson welcomed the opening of a compliance case by the Charity Commission.

They added: “MSF is one of the world’s most prominent medical charities, and its humanitarian work depends on the confidence of donors that their contributions are being used exclusively for legitimate charitable purposes.

“We hope that the Charity Commission will examine these matters thoroughly and establish whether MSF UK and its trustees have complied with their legal and regulatory obligations.”

---