Israel has implemented new regulations that will prevent 37 international aid groups from continuing their operations in Gaza and the West Bank, as their licences have ended on December 31. Under the new rules, which will take effect on March 1, such groups will have to register with Israeli authorities, and furnish detailed personal information about their staff. It has led to a fresh controversy as the move could disrupt vital humanitarian services, especially in Gaza.
Israel says the new regulations are meant to safeguard national security and prevent Palestinian groups from infiltrating humanitarian operations. The diaspora affairs ministry, which oversees the registration process, says that the move is aimed at ensuring that aid frameworks are “not exploited by terrorist organisations”.
“The message is clear: Humanitarian assistance is welcome; but the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorist purposes is unacceptable,” said Minister Amichai Chikli.
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However, international humanitarian organisations, including prominent NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Oxfam, CARE International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Action Aid, have strongly opposed the new regulations.
The crux of the controversy lies in the new requirements that foreign NGOs must submit a list of all staff members, including their passports and personal identification numbers, to the Israeli government. This also includes personal details of the workers’ families. Israeli authorities said their security agencies have found that some workers from international NGOs had links to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the past. This has forced them to implement new security guidelines.
However, the NGOs argue that the new rules are excessive, claiming that they violate their legal obligations under data protection laws in their home countries, which prevent them from sharing sensitive staff information with an “occupying power”.
Humanitarian groups also warn that such demands could put their employees, particularly local Palestinian staff, at grave risk. Gaza has become one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers, with over 500 humanitarian workers killed in the last two years.
The NGOs say that their staff could face reprisals if their personal data is handed over to Israeli authorities and that they already follow compliance frameworks designed to prevent terrorist financing.
For example, organisations like CARE and Oxfam say they have extensive vetting systems in place and are already subject to donor-mandated compliance measures. The Norwegian Refugee Council reportedly offered a compromise, suggesting third-party vetting to address Israel’s concerns, but this was rejected by Israeli authorities.
Israel says the groups account for only 1 per cent of the total aid entering Gaza. However, humanitarian agencies note that the quality of their services far outweighs the physical volume.
Médecins Sans Frontières, for instance, provides 20 per cent of the hospital beds in Gaza and is responsible for a third of all births. The Norwegian Refugee Council offers clean drinking water to over a lakh people daily. Oxfam and other organisations play a crucial role in repairing vital infrastructure, including water systems, and managing malnutrition treatment points. It may not be easy to replace such services.
Equally disastrous is the timing, as Gaza faces one of its harshest winters. Heavy rains have flooded tents, and cold winds have made life even more unbearable, leading to multiple deaths. The expulsion of aid groups at this point could lead to even more disastrous consequences.
The international community has been critical of the new regulations. Foreign ministers from ten countries, including the UK, France, Canada, Switzerland and Japan, called Israel’s actions "unacceptable," highlighting the worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel, however, remains firm, insisting that the aid groups had enough time to comply with the new rules. It also assured that delivery of aid would not be hampered in the long run.