Israel has revoked licences for 37 international aid organisations, including MSF and the Norwegian Refugee Council, under new rules requiring detailed disclosures about staff, funding and operations. Seventeen Israeli rights groups and UN officials condemned the move, saying it violates humanitarian principles and risks endangering staff. Aid agencies warn the ban could cut hundreds of thousands of Palestinians off from essential medical and humanitarian services amid severe needs in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel’s Ban on 37 International NGOs Sparks Global Outcry Over Humanitarian Impact
The ban comes as Palestinians across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip struggle amid a lack of shelter, food and other humanitarian supplies [File: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]
Israel has triggered widespread international criticism after revoking the operating licences of 37 foreign aid organisations working in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The move affects prominent groups including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and took effect under newly introduced regulations governing international non-governmental organisations (INGOs).
What the New Rules Require
The government’s new registration framework requires INGOs operating in Gaza and the West Bank to provide detailed disclosures about staff, funding sources and operational activities. Israeli officials have defended the policy by alleging links between some organisations and extremist groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, assertions that have not been publicly substantiated.
Local And International Reaction
Seventeen Israeli human-rights and advocacy organisations — including B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel — issued a joint statement condemning the ban. They said the measures 'undermine principled humanitarian action, endanger staff and communities, and compromise effective aid delivery.' Critics argue the requirements violate humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality and create risks for local and Palestinian staff by demanding sensitive personal data.
'Conditioning aid on political alignment, penalizing support for legal accountability, and requiring disclosure of sensitive personal data of Palestinian staff and their families all constitute a breach of duty of care and expose workers to surveillance and harm,' the groups said.
Humanitarian Consequences
Aid agencies and UN officials warn the ban will further restrict life-saving assistance at a time of acute need. United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk described the measure as 'the latest in a pattern of unlawful restrictions on humanitarian access' in the occupied Palestinian territory. MSF said the Palestinian health system has been severely damaged and that if MSF and other INGOs lose access, 'hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be cut off from essential care.' Former UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths, who is on the NRC board, warned the affected agencies are often the 'last mile' in delivering aid.
Context
The ban comes amid an intense Israeli military campaign in Gaza and rising violence in the West Bank. Human Rights Watch and other organisations have accused Israeli forces of actions in the West Bank that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity; Israeli authorities reject those characterisations. Rights groups say the new NGO framework fits a longer pattern of measures aimed at discrediting and restricting organisations that deliver assistance to Palestinians.
The immediate practical impact remains to be seen: some organisations report they are awaiting registration renewals under the new rules, while others face suspension or closure, raising urgent concerns about the delivery of medical care, food and other essentials to vulnerable civilians.
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