Foreign ministers from Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia urged Israel to allow "immediate, full, and unhindered" humanitarian access to Gaza as winter storms worsen conditions for nearly 1.9 million displaced people. They said Israel has not fully honoured a US-brokered October ceasefire provision to allow hundreds of aid trucks daily and condemned a new Israeli move to ban 37 international NGOs. The ministers praised UN relief efforts, demanded unrestricted humanitarian access, and warned that staff-data demands could put local employees at risk.
Regional Ministers Urge Israel To Lift Gaza Aid Restrictions As Winter Storms Deepen Humanitarian Crisis
A Palestinian woman, Nanaa Abu Jari, cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by heavy rainfall in central Gaza's Nuseirat on January 2, 2026 [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]
Several Middle Eastern and Asian foreign ministers have called on Israel to permit "immediate, full, and unhindered" humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip as severe winter storms compound already dire conditions for nearly 1.9 million displaced Palestinians.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia warned that the situation in Gaza is "deteriorating" and that displaced civilians are exposed to heightened risk.
"Flooded camps, damaged tents, the collapse of damaged buildings, and exposure to cold temperatures coupled with malnutrition, have significantly heightened risks to civilian lives," the ministers said, urging the international community to press Israel, described in the statement as the occupying power, to lift restrictions that hinder the entry and distribution of tents, shelter materials, medical supplies, clean water, fuel and sanitation support.
Ceasefire Commitments And Aid Access
The ministers noted that a United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect in October included provisions for the daily entry of hundreds of aid trucks into Gaza. According to the statement, Israel has not fully honoured that commitment and continues to restrict deliveries even as winter conditions worsen and basic supplies remain scarce.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families are sheltering in makeshift camps and overcrowded tent encampments after losing their homes in the recent offensive. Heavy rainfall and flooding in recent weeks have caused damaged buildings to collapse, killing several people, while cold temperatures have contributed to deaths, including among children, from hypothermia.
Recent Violence And Humanitarian Worker Casualties
On Friday, Nasser Hospital reported that Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and injured several others west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. A source at al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera that an Israeli drone strike wounded four Palestinians — including a woman and two children — when it hit a tent sheltering displaced people in Beit Lahiya in the north.
According to Gaza's Government Media Office, roughly 500 aid workers and volunteers have been killed in the enclave since the conflict intensified in October 2023. Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) — one of the organisations affected by a recent Israeli directive — said 15 of its colleagues have been killed and condemned demands for staff lists as an "outrageous overreach."
NGO Ban And Safety Concerns
This week Israel moved to implement a ban on 37 international non-governmental organisations working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, citing failures to meet new registration requirements. The new rules require detailed information on staff, funding and operations. Humanitarian experts and the targeted organisations have criticised the measures as arbitrary and warned that handing over personal data about Palestinian employees could increase the risk those staff face.
"Any attempt to impede their ability to operate is unacceptable," the ministers said, commending the United Nations and other humanitarian groups for continuing to support Palestinians "under extremely difficult and complex circumstances."
The ministers urged Israel to allow UN agencies and international non-profit organisations to operate in Gaza and the West Bank in a sustained, predictable and unrestricted manner, highlighting their essential role in providing lifesaving relief.
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