Israel to ban 37 humanitarian groups from entering Gaza

2025-12-31 08:00:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel will revoke the licenses of 37 aid groups working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, saying they have not met requirements under new registration rules.

Well-known international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee and the Norwegian Refugee Council are among those to have their licenses suspended on January 1, while their operations will be terminated within 60 days.

Israel said the groups, among other things, had failed to hand over the full personal data of their staff. The move was sharply criticized by foreign ministers from 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, who said the new rules were restrictive and unacceptable.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said that the forced closure of international NGO operations would have a severe impact on access to essential services, including healthcare.

They added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remained catastrophic and called on the Israeli government to ensure that international NGOs are able to operate in a sustainable and predictable manner.

Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which is responsible for registration applications, said the new measures would not affect the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The statement said aid continued to be provided through approved and verified channels, including UN agencies, bilateral partners and humanitarian organizations. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said that less than 15% of organizations providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza were found to have violated the new regulatory framework.

This framework includes several reasons for rejection, including:

- Denial of the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state

- Denial of the Holocaust or Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023

- Supporting an armed war against Israel by an enemy state or terrorist organization

- Promoting "delegitimization campaigns" against Israel

- Calls for a boycott of Israel or a commitment to participate in one

- Supporting the prosecution of Israeli security forces in foreign or international courts

The Humanitarian Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory - a forum that brings together UN agencies and more than 200 local and international organizations - previously warned that the new registration system fundamentally jeopardizes the operations of international NGOs in Gaza and the West Bank.

According to the Humanitarian Country Team, International NGOs currently run or support the majority of field hospitals and primary health care centers in Gaza, emergency shelter responses, water and sanitation services, nutrition stabilization centers for children with acute malnutrition, and critical mine action activities. /CNA