Israel Plans Shutdown of Over 30 Humanitarian Groups in Gaza

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Israel says it has suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules.

Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organisations. But the organisations say the rules are arbitrary and warned the new ban would harm a civilian population desperately in need of humanitarian aid.

Israel has claimed throughout the war that Hamas was siphoning off aid supplies — a charge the militant group denies. Early this year, Israel announced it would require aid organisations to register the names of their workers and provide details about funding and operations in order to continue working in Gaza.

The new regulations introduced specific ideological criteria that could disqualify organizations from operating in certain areas. These criteria include disqualifying any groups that have advocated for boycotts against Israel, denied the events of October 7, or shown support for international legal actions against Israeli military personnel or leaders.

Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said more than 30 groups — about 15 per cent of the organisations operating in Gaza — had failed to comply and that their operations would be suspended. It also said that Doctors Without Borders, one of the biggest groups in Gaza, had failed to respond to Israeli claims that some of its workers were affiliated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

Israeli diaspora affairs minister Amichai Chikli said: “The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome — the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not.”

Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said Israel’s decision would have a catastrophic impact on their work in Gaza, where they support around 20 per cent of the hospital beds and a third of births. The organisation also denied Israel’s accusations about their staff.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) stated, “MSF would never knowingly employ individuals who engage in military activities.”

While Israel claimed the decision would have a limited impact on the ground, the affected organisations said the timing — less than three months into a fragile ceasefire — was devastating.

“Despite the ceasefire, the needs in Gaza are enormous and yet we and dozens of other organisations are and will continue to be blocked from bringing in essential life-saving assistance,” said Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, which has also been suspended.

“Not being able to send staff into Gaza means all of the workload falls on our exhausted local staff,” Low said.

Several humanitarian organizations have expressed concerns over submitting lists of their Palestinian staff to Israeli authorities, as requested. They fear such disclosures could lead to their staff being targeted by Israel and also raise issues related to European data protection laws.

“It comes from a legal and safety perspective. In Gaza, we saw hundreds of aid workers get killed,” Low said.

The decision not to renew aid groups’ licences means offices in Israel and East Jerusalem will close, and organisations won’t be able to send international staff or aid into Gaza.

According to the ministry, the decision means the aid groups will have their licence revoked on 1 January, and if they are located in Israel, they will need to leave by 1 March. They can appeal the decision.

Countries warn of ‘catastrophic’ Gaza situation

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened again and is of serious concern, Britain, Canada, France and others said in a joint statement on Wednesday AEDT that also called on Israel to take urgent action.

The statement, published online by the British Foreign Office, said Israel should allow non-governmental organisations to work in Israel in a sustained and predictable way, and ensure the United Nations could continue its work in the Palestinian enclave.

“[We] express serious concerns about the renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza which remains catastrophic,” read the statement from the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

It also said Israel should lift what it called “unreasonable restrictions” on certain imports, including medical and shelter equipment, and open border crossings to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.