Israel to Suspend Operations of Numerous Aid Agencies in Gaza Amid International Concerns

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, 

Among the organisations affected are some of the most prominent humanitarian groups in the world, including ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The announcement, made on Tuesday by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, comes as severe storms have recently destroyed thousands of tents in Gaza, worsening an already critical humanitarian crisis.

Foreign ministers from ten countries expressed “serious concern” over the “deteriorating humanitarian situation” in Gaza, describing conditions as “catastrophic.” In a joint statement released by the UK Foreign Office, ministers from Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland said: “As winter sets in, civilians in Gaza are facing dire conditions, with heavy rainfall and dropping temperatures.”

The statement added that “1.3 million people still urgently need shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and lack essential medical supplies. The collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people exposed to toxic flooding.” The ministers called on the UN and its partners to continue their work in Gaza and urged Israel to lift “unreasonable restrictions on imports that could have dual use.”

Israel has blocked hundreds of items from entering Gaza on the grounds that they could be used by Hamas to rebuild tunnels or for military purposes. This includes essential medical and shelter equipment. The ministers also called for reopening border crossings to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid, noting that key corridors, including Rafah—the main passage into Egypt—remain closed or heavily restricted.

The statement further highlighted bureaucratic customs procedures and extensive security checks as causes of delays, while commercial shipments are allowed with fewer restrictions. Officials emphasized that the target of 4,200 trucks per week, including 250 UN trucks per day, should be considered a minimum, not a maximum, to ensure that vital supplies reach Gaza at the scale needed.

Under the 20-point agreement that enabled a fragile ceasefire in October, Israel is obliged to allow “full humanitarian aid” to be delivered “immediately” to Gaza. The ceasefire ended two years of continuous conflict, but progress toward a lasting peace remains stalled. Israel has stated it will not withdraw from the 53% of Gaza territory it controls until Hamas disarms and returns the last hostage it holds, while the Islamist militant group has so far refused to fully disarm.

Donald Trump stated on Monday that he hopes reconstruction efforts could soon begin in Gaza, devastated by Israeli responses to Hamas’ October 7 attacks, though he did not provide further details.

Israeli authorities said they had given aid organisations ample warning about the new registration requirements. Approximately 15% of NGOs operating in Gaza had not renewed their permits. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs stated: “Humanitarian organisations that fail to meet security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended.” Groups that “refused to provide a list of their Palestinian employees to rule out potential links to terrorism” were formally notified that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1.

NGO officials have previously noted that the new requirements conflict with European data protection laws and could put staff at risk. Israel’s ministry alleged that an investigation found MSF employed two individuals linked to Palestinian militant groups, including an alleged Hamas sniper and a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. MSF responded that it “would never knowingly employ individuals engaged in military activity” and confirmed that it is continuing discussions with Israeli authorities regarding registration.

Similar allegations were previously made by Israel against UNRWA, the UN agency serving Palestinians. A law passed on Monday will compel utilities, banks, and communications providers to cut services to UNRWA, after earlier legislation barred the agency from operating in Israel and ended all government interactions. The International Court of Justice has cleared UNRWA of impartiality allegations.

COGAT, the Israeli agency overseeing Gaza and the West Bank, stated that the organisations now facing suspension have contributed only about 1% of aid since the October ceasefire. Therefore, the government said, suspending these groups will not significantly reduce the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

Other major organisations whose permits have not been renewed include Care International, as well as divisions of Oxfam and Caritas, all of which provide essential social services, including food distribution, healthcare, disability support, education, and mental health assistance.

The ministry said that organisations were given ten months to provide the requested information but “nonetheless failed to comply.” Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told Reuters that Palestinian staff and partners would continue supporting communities but relying solely on locally sourced supplies will undermine the humanitarian aid system.

By late November, roughly 100 registration requests had been submitted to the ministry, of which only 14 were rejected, with the remainder either approved or still under review.