Israel Has Now Banned 37 Humanitarian Aid Groups From Working In Gaza Despite Its Genocide
Israel said it had decided to “strengthen and update” its rules for INGOs operating in Palestine and claims the organizations had failed to meet its new registration requirements.
Israel has announced it will ban 37 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) from operating in Gaza and parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, a move widely condemned by humanitarian groups and Western allies for further crippling aid delivery in the face of Israel’s ongoing genocide.
The aid groups had their license revoked as of Thursday, Jan. 1, and will have 60 days to stop operating in the region.
Among the 37 organizations are Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision, Action Against Hunger and Medical Aid for Palestinians, Al Jazeera reported.
Israel said it had decided to “strengthen and update” its rules for INGOs operating in Palestine and claims the organizations had failed to meet its new registration requirements.
The requirements included expanded disclosure of the INGOs’ funding sources, detailed information about Palestinian staff and declarations rejecting support for what Israel defines as “hostile activity”.
The INGOs have said this would put their staff at risk.
The UN’s Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk has also condemned the move, warning that blocking humanitarian organizations from operating in Gaza may violate international humanitarian law, which requires parties to a conflict to allow and facilitate impartial humanitarian assistance.
“Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza,” Türk said in a statement.
UN officials say the ban is part of a broader pattern of restrictions that have steadily narrowed humanitarian space in Gaza.
The United Kingdom, Canadian, French, Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swiss and Swedish ministers criticized the move in a joint statement.
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