Israel has issued a stark ultimatum to dozens of international aid organisations working in the Gaza Strip, threatening to ban their operations unless they comply with stringent new guidelines. The directive requires these groups to submit detailed information about their Palestinian staff members by a strict deadline.
The Ultimatum and Official Justification
The Israeli government announced that 37 aid organisations operating in Gaza will be barred from continuing their work from Thursday if they fail to meet the new requirements. The deadline for submitting the demanded information expired at midnight on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Gilad Zwick, defended the move, telling AFP that the NGOs have refused to provide lists of their Palestinian employees.
"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," Zwick stated. Expressing scepticism about last-minute compliance, he added, "I highly doubt that what they haven't done for 10 months, they will suddenly do in less than 12 hours. We certainly won't accept any cooperation that is just for show, simply to get an extension."
Major Organisations Affected and Broader Regulations
The list of potentially affected NGOs includes some of the world's most prominent humanitarian bodies. Among them is the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which Israel alleges employed two staff members with links to Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Other major organisations named by Israeli officials include the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE, and Oxfam.
Israeli authorities state that the new regulations are designed to prevent groups they accuse of supporting terrorism from operating in Palestinian territories. In a further clarification on Tuesday, they warned that "acts of delegitimising Israel" or denying events related to Hamas’s October 7 attack could also lead to the withdrawal of operating licenses.
International Condemnation and Humanitarian Warnings
The decision has triggered swift and strong criticism from the global community. The United Nations and the European Union have both voiced serious concerns. In a significant joint statement, the foreign ministers of ten nations—the UK, France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland—described international NGOs as essential to the humanitarian response in Gaza. They labelled any effort to restrict their work as "unacceptable."
The European Union issued a separate warning, cautioning that Israel's action would obstruct "life-saving" aid from reaching Gaza's civilians. EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib emphasised the bloc's position in a post on X, stating, "The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form."
The Humanitarian Country Team for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a forum that includes UN agencies and over 200 local and international NGOs, has urgently called on Israeli authorities to reconsider. The group highlighted the critical role these organisations play, noting they operate or support the majority of Gaza’s field hospitals, primary healthcare centres, emergency shelters, water and sanitation services, nutrition centres for acutely malnourished children, and essential mine-clearance activities.
