TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel is set to revoke the operational permits of 37 international aid groups working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, citing their failure to meet requirements under new registration rules.
Humanitarian organizations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Oxfam will be banned from operating in Gaza, as they are claimed to have failed to comply with the new rules for aid groups working in the genocided Gaza enclave.
Groups facing the ban from Thursday, January 1, 2026, have not met the new requirements to share information about their staff, funding, and operations, said Israeli authorities on Tuesday as reported by Al Jazeera.
Other major organizations affected include the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International, International Rescue Committee, as well as divisions of large charities such as Oxfam and Caritas.
Israel accuses Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, of failing to clarify the roles of some staff members, alleging that they collaborated with Hamas.
In its statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism as cited by Al Arabiya accused Doctors Without Borders (MSF) of employing two individuals suspected of being associated with Palestinian resistance groups.
“In June 2024, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was identified as an employee of the organization,” it said. “In September 2024, another MSF employee was identified as a Hamas sniper.”
“Despite repeated requests, the organization did not provide full disclosure regarding the identities and roles of these individuals,” the statement added.
“The message is clear: Humanitarian assistance is welcome. The exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not," claimed Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli.
MSF - one of the largest medical groups operating in Gaza where the health sector has been targeted by Israel and mostly destroyed - said Israel's decision will have a negative impact on their work in the area.
Doctors Without Borders supports around 20 percent of hospital beds and a third of the childbirth process in Gaza. The organization also denied Israel's allegations about its staff.
“MSF would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity,” it said.
Israel changed the registration process for aid groups in March, which included requirements to submit a list of staff, including Palestinians in Gaza.
Some aid groups said they did not provide a list of Palestinian staff for fear that these employees would be targeted by Israel.
Appalling Conditions
Aid organizations assist various social services, including food distribution, healthcare, mental health and disability services, as well as education.
Amjad Shawa of the Palestine NGO Network said Israel's decision is part of their continuous efforts "to deepen the humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza.
“The limitations on the humanitarian operations in Gaza are in order to continue their project to push out the Palestinians, deport Gaza. This is one of the things Israel continues doing," Shawa told Al Jazeera.
Dr. James Smith, a British physician who once volunteered in Gaza and was then denied re-entry by Israeli authorities, condemned the restrictions on aid groups.
“A situation that is already horrific will be made even more horrific. The changes will be immediate and they will be ruthless,” Smith told Al Jazeera.
Condemnation from 10 Major Countries
Israel's move comes as at least 10 countries expressed "serious concerns" about the “renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation."
“As winter draws in civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping,” said the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland in a joint statement.
The countries urged Israel to ensure international NGOs can operate in Gaza in a "sustainable and predictable" manner and called for the opening of land crossings to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance.
Four months ago, over 100 international aid groups accused Israel of obstructing life-saving aid from entering Gaza. They called on Israel to end the "weaponization of aid" as it refused to allow aid trucks into the devastated Gaza Strip.
Over 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched a genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023, the majority of whom are women and children. Hundreds have died due to severe malnutrition and thousands more from preventable diseases due to the lack of medical supplies.
Israel claims to have fulfilled aid commitments outlined in the recent ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, 2025. However, humanitarian groups dispute Israel's figures and say much more aid is desperately needed in the devastated territory inhabited by over two million Palestinians.
Much-Needed Aid Route
The decision not to renew aid group permits means their offices in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem will be closed, and the organizations will not be able to send international staff or aid to Gaza.
“Not being able to send staff into Gaza means all of the workload falls on our exhausted local staff," said Shaina Low, communications advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Israel's decision means aid group permits will be revoked on Thursday, and if they are located in Israel, they must leave the area by March 1, 2026, according to the ministry.
This is not the first time Israel has cracked down on international humanitarian organizations. Throughout the genocide, Israel accused the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, of being infiltrated by Hamas and claimed that Hamas used UNRWA facilities and took its aid.
The UN has denied this.
In October, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel must support UN efforts in Gaza, including those carried out by UNRWA.
Read: Hamas Confirms Death of Armed Wing Spokesperson Abu Obeida
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
