Jerusalem: Israel on Tuesday, December 30, said it had suspended 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 organizations. But the organizations say the rules are arbitrary and warned that the new ban would harm a civilian population desperately in need of humanitarian aid.
The foreign ministers of several nations—including the UK, France, Canada, and Japan—issued a collective warning that halting the operations of humanitarian organizations would drastically curtail critical aid, particularly healthcare services, for Gaza’s population.
New rules announced by Israel
The new rules, announced by Israel early this year, 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 included ideological requirements — including disqualifying organizations that have called for boycotts against Israel, denied the October 7 attack or 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 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 and best-known groups in Gaza, had failed to respond to Israeli claims that some of its workers were affiliated with Hamas.
“The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome — the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not,” Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said.
Doctors Without Borders
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 organization also denied Israel’s accusations about their staff.
“MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity,” it said.
While Israel claimed the decision would have limited impact on the ground. the affected organizations 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 organizations 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.
List of groups
Following is the list of humanitarian organisations working in Gaza that Israel is suspending:
- Action Against Hunger
- ActionAid
- Alianza por la Solidaridad
- Campaign for the Children of Palestine
- CARE
- DanChurchAid
- Danish Refugee Council
- Handicap International: Humanity & Inclusion
- Japan International Volunteer Center
- Medecins du Monde France
- Medecins du Monde Switzerland
- Medecins Sans Frontieres Belgium
- Medecins Sans Frontieres France
- Medecins Sans Frontieres Nederland
- Medicos del Mundo
- Mercy Corps
- MSF Spain
- Norwegian Refugee Council
- Oxfam Novib
- Premiere Urgence Internationale
- Terre des hommes Lausanne
- International Rescue Committee
- WeWorld-GVC
- World Vision International
- Relief International
- Fondazione AVSI
- Movement for Peace-MPDL
- American Friends Service Committee
- Medico International
- Palestine Solidarity Association in Sweden
- Defense for Children International
- Medical Aid for Palestinians UK
- Caritas Internationalis
- Caritas Jerusalem
- Near East Council of Churches
- Oxfam Quebec
- War Child Holland
Israel says militants exploiting aid groups
According to the ministry, the decision means the aid groups will have their license revoked on January 1, and if they are located in Israel, they will need to leave by March 1. They can appeal the decision.
The Israeli defense body that oversees humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said that the organisations on the list contribute less than 1 per cent of the total aid going into the Gaza Strip, and that aid will continue to enter from more than 20 organizations that did receive permits to continue operating.
“The registration process is intended to prevent the exploitation of aid by Hamas, which in the past operated under the cover of certain international aid organisations, knowingly or unknowingly,” COGAT said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time Israel has tried to crack down on international humanitarian organizations. Throughout the war, Israel accused the UN Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, of being infiltrated by Hamas, using its facilities and taking aid. The United Nations has denied it. UNRWA, the top UN agency working with Palestinians, has denied knowingly aiding armed groups and says it acts quickly to purge any suspected militants.
After months of criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies, Israel banned UNRWA from operating on its territory in January. The U.S., formerly the largest donor to UNRWA, halted funding to the agency in early 2024.
With inputs from AP
