Israel has confirmed that it will suspend the licences of 37 international humanitarian organisations operating in the Gaza Strip, a move that the United Nations and European officials say will further deepen an already severe humanitarian crisis.
The decision, announced on Thursday, requires the affected NGOs to cease their activities by 1 March.
Among those targeted are some of the most prominent humanitarian organisations working in Gaza, including Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins du Monde, Handicap International, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and World Vision International.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, the organisations failed to meet new “security and transparency standards”, particularly the requirement to provide full and verifiable information about their Palestinian staff.
“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,” the ministry said in a statement.
Minister Amichai Chikli insisted that “humanitarian assistance is welcome – the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not”.
'Post-apocalyptic wasteland': aid worker describes enduring horror in Gaza
Rules on disclosure
The ban follows legislation passed by the Israeli parliament in March 2025 that overhauled the registration and visa process for international NGOs. Under the new rules, organisations were given 10 months to disclose details of their personnel, funding sources and operational structures. The deadline expired at midnight on 31 December.
Several humanitarian groups argue that the demands undermine their independence and could put staff at risk. Médecins Sans Frontières has said that it had not submitted a list of employees because it had not received sufficient “guarantees and clarifications” about how the information would be used.
The organisation said the request “may be in violation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law” and stressed that it would “never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity”.
Israel, however, has accused MSF of employing two staff members who it says belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad – allegations the organisation strongly disputes.
Speaking to RFI, Jean-François Corty, president of Médecins du Monde, warned that the ban “jeopardises international humanitarian law” and risks setting a troubling precedent for aid operations worldwide.
International and domestic backlash
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the decision as “outrageous”, saying that “such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza”. He urged states to press Israel to reverse course.
The head of UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, called the move a “dangerous precedent”. Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X: “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.”
Opposition also emerged from within Israel. At least 17 Israeli left-wing organisations issued a joint statement condemning the ban, arguing that the new registration framework “violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality”. They warned that the “weaponisation of bureaucracy institutionalises barriers to aid, endangers staff and communities, and forces vital organisations to suspend operations”.
Europe seeks role in Gaza as pressure grows on Israel over fragile ceasefire
European officials have also raised concerns. In April, members of the European Parliament cautioned that the NGO registration law risked “hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid and social services to Palestinians”. European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said on 31 December that “the EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be applied in its current form”.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October, following the war triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Conditions in Gaza remain dire, with UN figures suggesting that nearly 80 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, while around 1.5 million of the territory’s more than two million residents have been displaced.
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of 10 countries – including France and the United Kingdom – urged Israel to guarantee access to humanitarian aid, describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic”.
(with newswires)
