Key points
- New registration rules trigger humanitarian backlash
- Foreign governments warn Gaza crisis worsening
- Winter storms deepen suffering for displaced Palestinians
JERUSALEM, Palestine: Israel has announced it will suspend the operations of several international humanitarian organizations in Gaza from Thursday, a move aid groups and foreign governments warn could deepen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged enclave.
Israeli authorities said the decision applies to aid organizations that failed to renew their registration under new regulations, which require groups operating in Gaza to submit detailed information about their staff.
Israel says the measures are aimed at preventing Hamas from exploiting humanitarian assistance, a claim aid agencies and the United Nations have rejected.
Among the organizations affected is Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF), one of the largest medical providers operating in Gaza. The Israeli military body responsible for coordinating aid, known as COGAT, said MSF had refused to comply with the registration process, including providing staff lists to Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
Serious concerns
Aid agencies have raised serious concerns about the safety implications of sharing personal information, particularly after multiple aid workers were killed during the conflict.
MSF warned earlier this month that losing access would be “a disaster for Palestinians,” saying its work supports nearly half a million people through medical care, water provision and emergency assistance.
Israel’s decision comes as 10 countries — Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland — warned that Gaza’s humanitarian situation is facing “renewed deterioration” and remains “catastrophic,” especially as winter weather worsens living conditions.
Gaza, much of which lies in ruins, has been battered by heavy rains and plunging temperatures. Storms have destroyed makeshift tents housing displaced families, while at least 20 people have been killed in building collapses linked to severe weather, according to Gaza authorities.
More than 1.3 million people still require urgent shelter, and over half of Gaza’s health facilities are only partially functioning due to shortages of essential supplies.
Israel’s suspension order
Relief organizations say Israel’s suspension order affects more than two dozen aid groups and could cost lives. Refugees International said the move would “deepen exposure, illness and preventable deaths,” accusing Israel of using registration requirements to further restrict aid.
More than 40 aid organizations said in October that Israel had continued to reject shipments of food, water, tents and medical supplies during the current ceasefire, often citing lack of authorization.
The aid dispute unfolds amid heightened diplomatic activity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently visiting the United States, where he met President Donald Trump. Netanyahu said a different future for Gaza would be possible only if Hamas were disarmed, while Hamas has rejected calls to give up its weapons.
As winter intensifies and humanitarian access narrows, aid groups and foreign governments continue to urge Israel to allow international organizations to operate freely and to expand the flow of assistance into Gaza.
