UN condemns Israel suspension of aid agencies from Gaza News
Ashraf Amra, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN condemns Israel suspension of aid agencies from Gaza

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Wednesday condemned Israel’s suspension of numerous aid agencies operating in Gaza, warning that the move worsens an already intolerable situation for the people in Gaza. Türk urged all states with influence to use their voice to press Israel to immediately allow unhindered aid to enter Gaza.

Israel recently revised the registration regulations for international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) operating in Gaza and revoked the licenses of 37 INGOs for failing to meet the new requirements. Several organizations, such as ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the Norwegian Refugee Council, are set to have their licenses suspended on January 1, 2026. The new registration rule, which the INGOs failed to comply with, requires identification details for all individuals employed by the organizations. However, some INGOs claim they cannot fulfill the required criteria without violating international rules or humanitarian principles.

In response to the suspension, MSF stated that Israel’s decision could severely damage its operations in Gaza. MSF called on the Israeli authorities to permit ongoing activities and stressed the organization’s impartial and independent approach in the region. Pascale Coissard, MSF’s emergency coordinator for Gaza, said: “MSF teams are trying to expand activities and support Gaza’s shattered health system; in 2025 alone, we carried out almost 800,000 outpatient consultations and handled more than 100,000 trauma cases, and if we obtain registration, we plan to continue strengthening our activities in 2026.”

The foreign ministers of the UK, France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland released a joint statement emphasizing the importance of INGOs to the humanitarian effort in Gaza. They cautioned, “Without them, it will be impossible to meet all urgent needs at the scale required.”

Following the Israeli ban on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in February 2025, new legislation restricting UNRWA was passed by the Israeli parliament on December 29. The new legislation “cuts off water, electricity, fuel, and communications from UNRWA and grants the government of Israel authority to expropriate UN properties in East Jerusalem.” UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini called this is a clear violation of international law. 

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