Jerusalem: Israel has announced the suspension of over 30 humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip starting in 2026 due to non-compliance with new registration protocols. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs stated that approximately 15 per cent of aid organisations in the enclave failed to meet new transparency rules, which mandate the disclosure of worker lists, funding details, and adherence to specific ideological standards.
The new guidelines, introduced earlier this year, disqualify organisations that have denied the October 7 attack, supported international legal cases against Israeli leaders, or advocated for boycotts against the state. Israeli officials argue these measures are essential to prevent Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating humanitarian networks or siphoning off supplies. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli emphasised that while assistance is welcome, the "exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not".
The suspended agencies, whose licences will be revoked on January 1 with a deadline to leave Israel by March 1, warned that the ban would devastate a civilian population already in desperate need. MSF, which supports 20 per cent of hospital beds and a third of births in Gaza, called the decision catastrophic and denied allegations that its staff were affiliated with Islamic Jihad or Hamas. Conversely, COGAT, the Israeli defence body overseeing aid, maintained that the barred groups contribute less than 1 per cent of the total aid entering the strip, noting that over 20 other permitted organisations will continue operations.
Many aid groups refused to submit staff lists due to strict European data protection laws and fears that the information could be used for military targeting, citing the deaths of over 500 aid workers during the war. Athena Rayburn of AIDA, an umbrella group for over 100 organisations, stated that Israel refused to engage with alternative vetting proposals or confirm that collected data would not be used for intelligence purposes. Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council noted that blocking international teams shifts the entire burden onto exhausted local staff amid a fragile ceasefire.
Amid the administrative crackdown, violence continues on the ground, with reports of a 10-year-old girl being killed and another person wounded by Israeli fire near the Yellow Line in Gaza City. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that 71,266 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, a figure Israel disputes but has not provided an alternative count for.
(Inputs from PTI)