Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Jan 1: Israel has announced that as many as 37 humanitarian organisations operating in the Gaza Strip will be barred from continuing their work from Thursday unless they comply with newly introduced guidelines mandating the submission of detailed information about their Palestinian staff.
According to Israeli authorities, the deadline for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to furnish the required details expires at midnight on Wednesday. The move, officials said, is aimed at preventing alleged links between aid organisations and militant groups.
Speaking to AFP, Gilad Zwick, spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, claimed that several NGOs were refusing to provide staff lists as they were aware that some employees allegedly had ties to Hamas or other militant outfits. “We highly doubt that what they have not done for the past 10 months, they will suddenly do in less than 12 hours,” he said, adding that Israel would not accept “symbolic cooperation” merely to seek deadline extensions.
Among the organisations likely to be affected is international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which Israel has accused of employing two individuals allegedly linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Other prominent NGOs named by Israeli officials include the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE and Oxfam.
Israeli authorities have further clarified that licences could also be revoked if organisations are found to be involved in what they termed “delegitimising Israel” or denying aspects related to Hamas’ October 7 attack.
The decision has triggered sharp reactions from the international community. The United Nations and the European Union have expressed serious concern, warning that the move could severely disrupt humanitarian assistance in the war-hit region.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the UK, France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said international NGOs play a crucial role in Gaza’s humanitarian response and described any attempt to curtail their work as “unacceptable”.
Echoing similar concerns, EU humanitarian aid chief Hadja Lahbib said the NGO registration law “cannot be implemented in its current form”, cautioning that it would block life-saving aid from reaching civilians in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Humanitarian Country Team for the Occupied Palestinian Territory — comprising UN agencies and more than 200 local and international NGOs — has urged Israeli authorities to reconsider the decision, stressing the critical need for uninterrupted humanitarian operations amid the ongoing crisis.