Israel to ban more than two dozen aid groups from operating in Gaza

Israel on Tuesday said it was suspending more than two dozen humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders and Care, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules.

Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organisations. But the groups say the rules are arbitrary and that the new ban would harm a civilian population desperately in need of humanitarian aid.

Israel has claimed throughout the war in Gaza that Hamas was siphoning off relief supplies, a charge the UN and aid groups have denied. The new rules, announced by Israel in March, require aid groups to register the names of their workers and provide details about funding and operations.

The regulations also disqualify organisations that have called for boycotts against Israel, denied the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that led to the war, or expressed support for any of the international court cases against Israeli soldiers or leaders.

Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said more than 30 groups had failed to comply and that their operations would be suspended. It said that Doctors Without Borders had failed to respond to claims that some of its workers were affiliated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

“The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome – the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not,” Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said.

Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, denied the accusations against its staff and said Israel's decision would have a catastrophic effect on its work in Gaza, where it supports about 20 per cent of the hospital beds and a third of births.

“MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity,” it said.

While Israel claimed the decision would have limited impact in Gaza, the affected organisations said the timing – less than three months into a fragile ceasefire – was devastating.

“Despite the ceasefire, the needs in Gaza are enormous and yet we and dozens of other organisations are and will continue to be blocked from bringing in essential, life-saving assistance,” said Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, which has also been suspended.

“Not being able to send staff into Gaza means all of the workload falls on our exhausted local staff."

Some aid groups say they did not submit the list of Palestinian staff, as Israel demanded, for fear they would be a target for Israel, and because of data protection laws in