Israel to ban dozens of aid agencies from Gaza

Israel to Ban Dozens of Aid Agencies from Gaza as 10 Nations Warn About Suffering

Jason Burke in Jerusalem

The Guardian

December 30, 2025

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Summary:

Israel announced it will stop dozens of aid organizations from working in Gaza within 36 hours for failing to meet new requirements to hand over personal details of Palestinian and international staff.

The list includes major humanitarian organizations such as ActionAid, International Rescue Committee, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Care International, and divisions of Oxfam and Caritas. 

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs stated that organizations refusing to submit lists of Palestinian employees to rule out links to terrorism would have their licenses revoked as of January 1, 2026. Israeli officials said approximately 15% of NGOs working in Gaza had not had their permits renewed, and claimed the affected organizations had contributed only about 1% of total aid volume since the October ceasefire. The announcement comes amid fierce winter storms that have destroyed thousands of tents in Gaza, worsening an acute humanitarian crisis. 

Foreign ministers of 10 nations (Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland) expressed serious concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian situation, noting that 1.3 million people require urgent shelter support, more than half of health facilities are only partially functional, and 740,000 people are vulnerable to toxic flooding due to collapsed sanitation infrastructure. The ministers called for lifting unreasonable Israeli restrictions on dual-use imports, opening crossings to increase aid flow, and meeting the target of 4,200 trucks per week. Under the October ceasefire agreement, Israel is obliged to allow full aid to be immediately sent into Gaza.

NGO officials stated the new requirements clash with European data protection legislation and could endanger their staff. 

The Israeli ministry alleged that MSF employed two individuals with links to Palestinian militant groups, which MSF denied, saying it would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity. 

The ministry gave organizations 10 months to provide the requested information. Of approximately 100 registration requests submitted by late November, only 14 were rejected, with the remainder approved or under review. COGAT stated the suspended organizations had not supplied any aid since the October ceasefire. Oxfam's policy lead said forcing aid agencies to rely on local supplies rather than bringing in goods from outside was part of a wider dismantling of the humanitarian aid system.

Quotes:

"As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping. 1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding." - Joint statement by foreign ministers of 10 nations

"Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely. The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a ceiling." - Joint statement by foreign ministers

"Humanitarian organisations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licences suspended." - Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs

"MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity." - Médecins Sans Frontières spokesperson

"Accordingly, the implementation of the government decision will not result in any future harm to the volume of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip." - COGAT statement