Palestinians in Gaza are raising the alarm over Israel’s pending ban on dozens of international organizations that support the devasted region’s vital services and aid.
There is “no alternative” to the aid organizations helping besieged Palestinians in Gaza, according to Siraj al-Masri, a Palestinian in Khan Younis on Wednesday.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
What should we do next? We don’t have any money, according to Al-Masri.
“A few medical points are still unfilled. This makes things very difficult, and it will cause both the injured and the hurt to be horrified. Even the most common people who come to see a doctor will experience severe hardship.
In response to unproven allegations of links to Hamas, Israel is attempting to demonize 37 international NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials MSF).
According to Israel, the ban, which starts on Thursday and includes organizations like the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International, and the International Rescue Committee, is a result of recent laws that require aid organizations to disclose information about their staff and activities.
The situation is already tragic, according to Gaza resident Ramzi Abu al-Neel, who spoke to Al Jazeera.
God “knows what will happen” if their support and presence are removed. Many families will be devastated by this decision, as well as many children who will pass away and lives who will be lost.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of 10 nations, including Canada, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom, demanded that Israel make it clear that international NGOs “are able to operate in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way.”
It is inadmissible to try to stop them from operating. Without them, it will be impossible to meet all urgent needs on the necessary scale,” it said.
Israel has continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza despite the ceasefire and imposes restrictions on access to basic supplies, including temporary housing, for the area.
More than one million people have been living in makeshift tents in the harsh winter weather as the majority of Gaza has turned into rubble. Additionally, Gaza’s population is still heavily dependent on international aid despite the destruction’ absence of any economic activity.
According to Abdullah al-Hawajri, a displaced Palestinian in Khan Younis, “most people rely entirely on international organizations for assistance.”
Israel’s action is “further compromising the humanitarian operation” in Gaza, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
The Israeli decision, according to UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini, creates a “dangerous precedent.”
The fundamental human rights that underpin aid work worldwide will be further undermined by failing to counteract attempts to control the work of aid organizations, Lazzarini said in a statement.
Israel approved a number of measures in 2025 to end UNRWA, a key source of aid and essential services in Gaza, and stifle its work.
According to Lazzarini, the most recent ruling against aid organizations “is a troubling pattern of disregard for international humanitarian law and growing obstacles to aid operations.”
Israel imposed a suffocating blockade on the enclave, causing a deadly famine, during its two-year genocidal war, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which resulted in the killing of about 500 aid workers and volunteers.
The Israeli ban appears to violate both the “20-point peace plan” of US President Donald Trump and the ceasefire agreement.
According to Trump’s plan, “distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will be conducted without the interference of the two parties through the United Nations, its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international organizations not affiliated with either party in any way.”
Many of the organizations that are subject to the ban are members of the well-established, UN-backed aid distribution system.
