At least six medical aid missions currently operating inside the Gaza Strip received orders this week from the Israeli government that they would no longer be allowed access to their patients in the enclave.

Israel’s coordinator of government activities in the territories (Cogat) appeared to give no reason for the decision to ban the missions from Gaza.

Cogat’s decision comes on the heels of a New York Times guest essay published on 9 October, entitled, “65 Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics: What We Saw in Gaza.”