Israel has announced it will enforce a ban on 37 international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the Gaza Strip, accusing them of failing to meet newly introduced “security and transparency standards,” including the disclosure of information about their Palestinian staff.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said the affected organisations must cease operations, warning that their licences would be revoked for non-compliance with the regulations. The United Nations has cautioned that the decision could further deepen the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
“Organisations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licences suspended,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israel said the regulations are aimed at preventing organisations it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories. According to the ministry, the “primary failure identified was the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees, a critical requirement designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures.”
In March last year, Israel granted NGOs a 10-month deadline to comply with the new rules, which require the “full disclosure of personnel, funding sources, and operational structures.”
The ministry said the 37 NGOs were formally notified that their licences would be revoked by January 2026 and that they must complete the cessation of their activities.
‘Weaponisation of Bureaucracy’
Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, defended the decision, insisting that Israel supports humanitarian assistance but will not tolerate security risks.
“The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome — the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not,” Chikli said.
The list of affected organisations includes major international humanitarian groups such as Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF), World Vision International and Oxfam.
In the case of MSF, Israeli authorities alleged that two of its employees were members of Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas. MSF rejected the claims, saying earlier this week that the request to share a list of its staff “may be in violation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.”
The organisation added: “We would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity.”
Israel-based left-wing NGOs also condemned the move, describing it as an attack on humanitarian principles.
“The new registration framework violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality,” they said in a joint statement. “This weaponisation of bureaucracy institutionalises barriers to aid and forces vital organisations to suspend operations.”
International Outcry
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from international officials and humanitarian leaders. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the move as “outrageous” and urged the international community to intervene.
“Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza,” Türk said.
UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini warned that the ban sets a “dangerous precedent.”
“Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organisations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world,” he wrote on X.
The foreign ministers of 10 countries, including France and the United Kingdom, called on Israel to “guarantee access” to humanitarian aid in Gaza, describing the situation in the enclave as “catastrophic.”
Humanitarian Situation Remains Dire
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following Israel’s military offensive in response to Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
Despite the ceasefire, living conditions in Gaza remain dire. United Nations data show that nearly 80 per cent of buildings in the territory have been destroyed or damaged, while about 1.5 million of Gaza’s more than two million residents have lost their homes.
“The humanitarian situation is beyond critical,” said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza. “Any further restrictions on aid organisations will have devastating consequences for civilians.
