Israel suspends operations of over 30 aid groups in Gaza under new registration rules

Israel has suspended more than 30 international humanitarian organizations from operating in the Gaza Strip, drawing sharp criticism from journalists and human-rights advocates.

In a post on X, American journalist Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone, said Israel is using new registration requirements to “ban virtually every credible international aid organization” from Gaza.

He also warned the measures will deepen a campaign to deprive Palestinians of food, medicine, and basic survival.

Blumenthal said Israel’s so-called diaspora affairs ministry — which he described as closely tied to Israeli intelligence — is demanding that aid workers prove they do not oppose Israel’s political and military policies or challenge official Israeli narratives of the war, including those surrounding the events of October 7. 

Blumenthal said the stringent rules imposed by Israel will essentially act as a de facto ban on nearly all independent international aid organizations, potentially leading to the displacement of Palestinians or confining them to tightly controlled zones within Gaza.

His remarks followed Israel’s suspension of 37 international humanitarian organizations from operating in Gaza, including major groups such as Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF), CARE, Action Against Hunger, Oxfam affiliates, the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision, and Caritas.

Israel’s ministry of diaspora affairs claimed that these organizations failed to comply with newly imposed registration requirements, which include screening staff for political positions and providing personal data on employees.

Under the new rules, any group or staff member found to have supported boycotts of Israel, questioned Israeli military conduct, denied the October 7 Hamas-led attack, or backed international legal cases against Israeli officials can be barred from operating in Gaza. 

Israel claims the measures are aimed at preventing infiltration by Hamas and other resistance groups into humanitarian agencies.

Relief organizations, however, denounce these rules as collective punishment against Palestinians, with the potential to severely disrupt life-saving assistance in the region.

Displaced Palestinians freeze in flooded tents as Israel continues Gaza truce violations

Heavy rains and strong winds have flooded and destroyed hundreds of tents in Gaza City, worsening a humanitarian crisis driven by Israel’s continued restrictions on aid and winter supplies.

The suspended organizations are set to have their licenses revoked on January 1, and those registered in Israel must leave the entity by March 1 unless their appeals are successful. 

Several aid agencies have refused to provide personal data on Palestinian employees due to concerns that it could be exploited to target them, and because the demand violates European data-protection laws. 

Relief organizations have emphasized that the move comes at a critical juncture, despite the existing fragile ceasefire since October, warning that it could significantly worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

“Despite the ceasefire, the needs in Gaza are enormous,” said Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “Not being able to send staff into Gaza means all the workload falls on our exhausted local staff.” 

The suspension of aid agencies comes as Israeli violence continues along Gaza’s “yellow line,” which marks areas under the occupying regime’s military control. 

On Tuesday, Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said Israeli fire killed a 10-year-old girl and wounded another person near the line. The Israeli military did not immediately comment, but has previously said its forces will fire on anyone who approaches or threatens soldiers in the area.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s genocidal war on the blockaded territory has killed at least 71,266 Palestinians and wounded 171,222 others since October 2023.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir