United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to reverse its decision to ban dozens of refugees international aid organizations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
This step would further aggravate the situation humanitarian crisis Guterres issued a warning to the Palestinians, according to his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
“This announcement comes on top of ‘previous restrictions that have already prevented critical food, medical, hygiene and shelter supplies from entering Gaza. This latest action will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians,’ Dujarric said in a statement.
In December, Israel moved to suspend more than 20 humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, CARE and Oxfam, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules.
Last year, Israel announced it would require aid agencies to register the names of their employees and provide details of funding and operations to continue working in Gaza.
Israeli authorities required aid organizations to register starting January 1, a requirement that many organizations reject as unlawful.
The new regulations also include ideological requirements – including disqualifying organizations that have called for boycotts against Israel, denied the October 7 attack or expressed support for any international lawsuit against Israeli soldiers or leaders.
Israel says the rules are intended to prevent Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating aid organizations. But the organizations say the rules are arbitrary and warned the new ban would harm a civilian population in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, banned organizations must cease their activities in March.
In a joint statement from Oxfam on behalf of 53 international non-governmental organizations, the groups called on Israel to “immediately halt deregistration procedures and lift measures that hinder humanitarian assistance.”
“We urge donor governments to use all available resources to secure the suspension and reversal of these actions,” the statement said.
Israel’s threat to refuse registration of aid groups is “a cynical and calculated attempt to prevent organizations from providing services in Gaza and the West Bank,” Doctors Without Borders said in a separate statement, adding that Israel is violating its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Organizations are also reportedly required to disclose confidential information about Palestinian employees and to fire staff upon request and without cause.
The involvement of a party to the conflict in personnel checks is seen as a violation of humanitarian principles such as neutrality and independence.
Offers for assessment by neutral bodies have so far been rejected.
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