PIJ Confirms Doctors Without Borders Physiotherapist Served as High-Ranking Commander
PIJ confirmed that Fadi Jihad Mohammed al-Wadiyya, a Doctors Without Borders physiotherapist, held the rank of deputy head of PIJ's military manufacturing unit
On Tuesday, analyst Gabriel Epstein posted on X about a list released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) that identified 41 high-ranking commanders it said were killed during the Israel-Hamas conflict, including several figures who reportedly held both civilian and militant roles. The list suggests that some senior PIJ operatives were simultaneously affiliated with medical facilities and international NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Fadi Jihad Mohammed al-Wadiyya (ID# 802854323, aged 33), who worked as a physiotherapist for Doctors Without Borders, was identified by the Israel Defense Forces as a PIJ member following his death in a June 2024 airstrike. PIJ has now confirmed that al-Wadiyya held the rank of deputy head of the organization’s military manufacturing unit.
On June 27, 2024, Doctors Without Borders issued a statement stating that the organization “had no prior knowledge of Al-Wadiya’s alleged involvement in military activities” and that “MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity.”
Pattern of Dual Roles in Medical and Militant Structures
The al-Wadiyya case is not isolated. Epstein identified at least four individuals employed in medical roles simultaneously held senior positions within PIJ or Hamas military structures, according to the militant group’s own records.
Waseem Yahya Abdulqader al-Ustaz (ID#: 801330481, age 37), a physiotherapist employed by the Palestinian Health Ministry, was identified as the deputy commander of PIJ’s Northern Brigade. He was killed in a November 2023 airstrike.
Alaa Hassan Abdullah Asbihi (ID#: 400060240, age 29), a nurse at the European Hospital in southern Gaza, held the rank of deputy commander of PIJ’s Military Manufacturing Unit. He was killed alongside his family in a December 2023 airstrike.
Mohammed Akram Abdullah al-Kafarna (age 40), identified as head of the Palestinian Nursing Association and nursing supervisor at Kamal al-Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was a Hamas militant. Hamas announced his death in late September 2025 via a major media Telegram channel, among 13 terrorists killed in the northern Gaza neighborhood following heavy IDF operations. Al-Kafarna had been elected president of the Palestinian Nursing Association in Gaza in early 2023 and was memorialized by both local nursing organizations and the International Council of Nurses.
Of the 41 commanders announced by PIJ, dual civilian roles are documented for at least eight individuals—four in medical positions, two in media or journalism roles, one in a religious position, and one as an apparent NGO worker.
According to Epstein's analysis, cross-referencing with Palestinian mortality data reveals that 34 of the 41 announced commanders appear on the November 2025 Ministry of Health death toll list. Of the seven not yet confirmed on official records, five died during or after October 2025.
Doctors Without Borders’ Stance on Staff Vetting and Registration
The revelations emerge amid heightened scrutiny of international humanitarian organization procedures in conflict zones. On January 30, 2026, Doctors Without Borders published a statement declaring that the organization would not share a list of its Palestinian and international staff with Israeli authorities as part of the registration process to work in Gaza and the West Bank.
The discovery of al-Wadiyya's role as a deputy commander in PIJ's military manufacturing unit has prompted questions from observers and critics about how a major international humanitarian organization could employ a high-ranking terrorist commander without detecting his involvement.
Jewish Onliner reached out to Doctors Without Borders for comment on this article but did not receive an immediate response.