A Guelph, Ont., doctor is speaking out after he was stopped by an Israeli border guard while trying to enter Gaza to do humanitarian work and then was ultimately barred from continuing his trip.
Dr. Hassan Kapasi told CBC News that twice last year — in the wake of an Israel-Hamas truce deal signed by both sides as part of efforts to end the years-long war — he attempted to drive to Gaza from Jordan, which means driving through Israel.
His first attempt to cross was on Nov. 25, when Kapasi was on a bus sent by the United Nations (UN). It was full of mostly medical staff representing various non-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including Doctors Without Borders, the United Nations World Food Programme and Catholic Relief Services.
Kapasi was there on the behalf of Humanity Auxilium, a Texas-based NGO, to help support surgeons dealing with the growing medical needs of patients at the Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza.
The bus was stopped at the Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, by an Israeli border guard for a random baggage check. The border guard found general medical equipment, including a stethoscope and temperature probe, Band-Aids and blood pressure cuffs.
Kapasi said the guard told him he was being denied entry because they believed he intended to distribute the items in Gaza.
“It’s kind of arbitrary because everyone on the convoy who’s medical has stuff like this.”
Kapasi tried to enter again on Dec. 4 — he said the same border guard recognized him and told him he was banned from ever entering the country again.
“I was the only one singled out the second time, and this time there was no reason,” Kapasi said, adding he was not carrying any medical equipment during his December entry attempt.
“They gave me a piece of paper saying that I’m a security threat or a threat to public safety, and I can never enter Israel again in the future.”
Specifically, the paper gives the reason for denying Kapasi entry as “public security or public safety or public order considerations.”
‘We followed all the rules,’ colleague says
Kapasi said his colleague, British surgeon Dr. Muhammed Farooq, and another Italian doctor from Catholic Relief Services were also turned away on Nov. 25. The remaining group of about 30 people were allowed to pass through.
“We followed all the rules,” Farooq said. “We thought they would let us through … confiscate our stuff and let us through, but then they didn’t.”
Farooq, a colorectal surgeon at Harrogate District Hospital in the United Kingdom, successfully crossed the Israeli border three times before he was stopped for the first time last November. He hopes to try to go again in about six months to a year.
Efforts by Kapasi, Farooq and others come as deadly attacks in the Gaza Strip continue despite the truce deal aimed at ending the war that began Oct. 7, 2023, after the Hamas-led attack in Israel.
According to Israeli tallies, the war killed around 1,200 people in the country. On Tuesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported 586 Palestinians had been killed since the start of the ceasefire, bringing the cumulative toll to 72,037 killed since Israel’s offensive began. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, but it does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
NGO cites ‘constant shortage of supplies’
In a statement to CBC News, Humanity Auxilium said Kapasi had received advance approval from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to enter Gaza on Nov. 25 with an exit date of Dec. 23. The approval came from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the administrative arm of the IDF.
“There is a constant shortage of supplies at hospitals. The items they were carrying were few and in a Ziploc bag, not even enough to cover their whole rotation period” — two weeks for the surgeon and four weeks for Kapasi, the statement said.
“There has been a pattern of denials set in place without an appeal process. We have had several surgeons denied entry by COGAT the night before deployment without any reason.”
The organization said medical staff have the most difficulty crossing the border, with “the highest rate of denial amongst all the different groups entering Gaza, 45.5 per cent according to data shared by the UN Accessory Support Unit back in Nov 2025. There really is no rhyme or reason for the deployment of medics to Gaza.”
In a social media post, the group included a video of Kapasi explaining what happened to him. Under the video was written: “Imagine being told that your stethoscope makes you a threat to public safety.
“When even bandaids (sic) are weaponized against the Palestinians, is it really even a ceasefire? End the siege. Open the borders. Let aid in,” the post continued.
Doctor says he’s always wanted to help
In the past, Kapasi, a doctor at Guelph General Hospital, has worked with organizations like the Canadian Red Cross to provide medical support in places like South Sudan and Bangladesh. This was his first time trying to enter Gaza.
“I’ve always had an interest in humanitarian work and, like everybody else, observing the situation on the ground, and feeling kind of helpless and wanting to try to help as best I could with whatever resources I had at my disposal,” he said.
CBC News reached out to the Israeli Consulate for comment on this story. A spokesperson there said they would require the doctor’s passport number to look into it further. Kapasi chose not to share that information and the Israeli Consulate, in turn, declined to comment.
Aid groups must register names
Various NGOs told CBC News that bringing medical equipment into Gaza can be extremely complicated.
“We have repeatedly called for the unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including complex medical items,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told CBC in an email.
“The health-care system in Gaza is under severe strain and civilians require significantly more medical assistance. Current restrictions on the entry of humanitarian assistance to Gaza has hindered the entry of medical items needed to address the overwhelming levels of need. The ICRC reiterates its call for the rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including medicine and medical items.”
Israel announced new rules early this year requiring aid organizations to register the names of their workers and provide details about funding and operations in order to continue working in Gaza.
Israel said the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organizations.
There’s a lot of places in the world that need help, so I’ll continue to do humanitarian work in the future and continue to try to help us as best I can from here.– Dr. Hassan Kapasi
The new regulations also include ideological requirements. They include disqualifying organizations that have called for boycotts against Israel, have denied the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, or have expressed support for any of the international court cases against Israeli soldiers or leaders.
Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said more than 30 groups — about 15 per cent of the organizations operating in Gaza — have failed to comply and will be suspended. Those include World Vision International, several regional arms of Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
When asked about Kapasi’s story, MSF directed CBC News to a news release from January responding to Israel’s border restrictions.
“Israel has knowingly given MSF and our Palestinian colleagues an impossible choice; either we provide this information or abandon the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who need vital medical care,” the non-profit said regarding its suspension.
“People need much more support, not less. Since [Jan. 1], all arrivals of our international staff into Gaza have been denied and all our supplies have been blocked.”
MSF said it’s worried about the consequences of handing over its staff’s personal information.
“We have so far refused to hand over this list as we are legitimately concerned about providing such information in a context where 1,700 health staff have been killed, including 15 MSF workers, since October 2023.”
Global Affairs says Gaza access needed
In a statement to CBC News, the Palestinian General Delegation to Canada said it is gravely concerned about Kapasi’s ban.
“This measure represents a continuation of the systematic obstruction of international medical personnel, further weakening Gaza’s already collapsing health system,” the statement said.
“The delegation emphasizes that these actions constitute a clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international law as the occupying power and represent a continuation of its violations against the Palestinian people.”
Global Affairs Canada said it’s aware that Canadians are being denied entry into Gaza.
“Canada continues to advocate for the easing of movement restrictions into and throughout Palestinian territory,” said spokesperson Clémence Grevey.
“We continue to call for a UN-led humanitarian response with rapid, safe and unimpeded access into and throughout Gaza.”
Kapasi said he doesn’t plan to appeal being denied entry into Israel, but that doesn’t mean his humanitarian work has to end.
“There’s a lot of places in the world that need help, so I’ll continue to do humanitarian work in the future and continue to try to help us as best I can from here,” he said.
“But there probably are no options [to volunteer] for Gaza in the future.”
