Israel says ban on aid groups operating in Gaza to hit 37 organisations

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel has said that 37 aid organisations will be banned from operating in Gaza starting on Thursday, unless they comply with its new guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff.

“They refuse to provide lists of their Palestinian employees because they know, just as we know, that some of them are involved in terrorism or linked to Hamas,” spokesman for the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Gilad Zwick told AFP, giving names of 37 NGOs that had so far failed to meet the new requirements.

The deadline for NGOs to provide the details expires at midnight on Wednesday.

“I highly doubt that what they haven’t done for 10 months, they will suddenly do in less than 12 hours,” Zwick said.

“We certainly won’t accept any cooperation that is just for show, simply to get an extension.”

The ministry said in a statement the day before that the move was part of Israel’s decision to “strengthen and update” regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.

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Israel has singled out international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), alleging that it had two employees who were members of Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

Apart from MSF, some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE and Oxfam, according to the list given by Zwick.

Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza, with humanitarian organisations saying the amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.

Earlier on Wednesday, the European Union warned that Israel’s decision would block “life-saving” assistance from reaching Gazans.

“The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form,” EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib posted on X, after Israel said several groups would be barred for failing to provide details of their Palestinian employees.

“IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need,” Lahbib wrote.

While a deal for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said last week that on average 4,200 aid trucks enter Gaza weekly, which corresponds to around 600 daily.