Nonprofit groups accuse Israel of ‘weaponising’ aid in Gaza

Tel Aviv: More than 100 nonprofit groups warned Thursday that Israel's rules for aid groups working in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank will block much-needed relief and replace independent organisations with those that serve Israel's political and military agenda — charges that Israel denied.

A letter signed by organisations including Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders and CARE accused Israel of “weaponising aid” as people starve in war-torn Gaza and using it as a tool to entrench control.

The groups were responding to registration rules announced by Israel in March that require organisations to hand over full lists of their donors and Palestinian staff for vetting.

The groups contend that doing so could endanger their staff and give Israel broad grounds to block aid if groups are deemed to be “delegitimising” the country or supporting boycotts or divestment.

The registration measures were “designed to control independent organisations, silence advocacy, and censor humanitarian reporting,” they said.

The letter added that the rules violate European data privacy regulations, noting that in some cases, aid groups have been given only seven days to comply.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, denied the letter's claims. It alleged the groups were being used as cover by Hamas to “exploit the aid to strengthen its military capabilities and consolidate its control” in Gaza.

“The refusal of some international organisations to provide the information and cooperate with the registration process raises serious concerns about their true intention,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

“The alleged delay in aid entry... occurs only when organisations choose not to meet the basic security requirements intended to prevent Hamas's involvement.” Israel has long claimed that aid groups and United Nations agencies issue biased assessments.

The aid groups stressed on Thursday that most of them haven't been able to deliver “a single truck” of life-saving assistance since Israel implemented a blockade in March.

AP.