As of 1 January, the operating licenses of 37 international NGOs working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been officially suspended by Israeli authorities. Israel claims they failed to meet new registration requirements designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian sphere.

NGOs refusing to collaborate with occupier force punished

The organisations have until 1 March to halt all activities. They include prominent aid agencies such as the International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

NGOs warn their withdrawal will deepen the humanitarian catastrophe especially in Gaza if left unchallenged. UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, condemned the move as deliberate and calculated, while Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) underlined what they view as a continuation of genocide by depriving Palestinians of a humanitarian response.

De-registered organisations can no longer bring international staff or supplies into Occupied Palestinian Territories. Groups, including MSF, say that they have faced these restrictions on the ground even prior to the ban.

Highlighting these obstacles, Claire San Filippo, the emergency coordinator for Palestine at MSF told the Canary:

Today, we have 45 Doctors Without Borders trucks that are blocked, and we’re waiting for authorisation to bring supplies in. In the past few days all our supplies and staff movements into Gaza have been refused. So we continue to engage with the Israeli authorities, to maintain our vital operations and support the health system that has largely been destroyed.

She added that in the last year MSF managed over 100,000 trauma cases in Gaza, performed 23,000 surgeries and 800,000 outpatient consultations, and distributed 700 million litres of water — a lifeline for a population enduring genocide.

Israeli authorities pins false claims on MSF

San Filippo added that MSF stands accused by the Israeli occupation of ignoring the registration process, which she slammed as equivocally untrue.

She explained that MSF submitted all the information asked of them, but fearing for the safety and security of their Gazan counterparts, held onto information about local staff, with good reason. Since 7 October, Israel has targeted and killed more than 560 aid workers and 1500 health workers in Gaza. The overwhelming majority of those killed are Palestinian.

In response to false allegations against them, San Filippo told the Canary:

We have serious concerns about one specific requirement- sharing personal information about Palestinian staff with Israeli authorities. These concerns are heightened by the fact Israeli forces in Gaza have killed 15 of our Palestinian colleagues. We have engaged with the authorities to ask for guarantees about how such sensitive detail would be used, stored or shared, but they’ve not engaged with our concerns and have ignored repeated requests from MSF for a meeting.

Instead, the NGO has been the target of a disinformation campaign. Israel continues to spread false allegations about MSF, claiming that it knowingly hired staff with alleged ‘terror ties’ — a narrative we’re all too familiar with. In defence of its commitment to organisational integrity and proper vetting, San Filippo said:

We would never knowingly employ anyone who is part of an armed group. This would obviously contradict our core values and ethics, and put the team and patients at great risk. So we very strongly refute these allegations, and continue to seek dialogue with the Israeli authorities.

Gaza’s man-made humanitarian nightmare

As Israel tightens the noose on aid organisations, disease is spreading like wildfire. Winter weather batters the tents of the hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced., and Israel continues killing and maiming Palestinians on a daily basis.

The situation, as San Filippo described it is “nothing short of catastrophic”. The healthcare system in Gaza is holding on by a thread, obliterated throughout the two-year genocide. describing this greater detail, the MSF chief said:

The needs are staggering, and are not being met today. This is due to the deliberate restrictions and delays imposed by the Israeli authorities on the entry of international supplies […] Lack of water, sanitation and nutritious food also mean infections of all types are rife.

The Israeli occupation is legally obliged to ensure people’s basic needs are met, and essential supplies are supplied. It must facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid without obstruction. Revoking the licenses of these NGOs is a blatant violation of the law.

The affected NGOs not only bear witness to ‘Israel’s’ war crimes and crimes against humanity. They also actively channel information outside of the Gaza Strip, to inform the public. If they are banned from operating, the information they share with the world will be silenced.

Weaponising food and aid

Suspending their work is also about depriving the civilian population of objects indispensable for their survival. Neve Gordon, a professor of international law told the Canary that the use of food and aid as political tools exist is a long standing practice used by Israeli colonisers. In conversation with the Canary he said:

Israel, as the occupying power, is responsible for the needs of the population. The minute it doesn’t do that, it is in contravention of the law. This is also collective punishment, as Israel isn’t targeting specific individuals but the population as a whole. By not allowing these humanitarian organisations to work in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Israel is abdicating this responsibility big time.

The first move was to subject UNRWA — the largest and most experienced aid group in Gaza — to a smear campaign. ‘Israel’ claimed, without evidence, that 12 out of 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza were members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad activists.

Then there was the creation of the ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ (GHF), a joint ‘Israeli’ / US venture. Far from being a humanitarian agency, GHF was instead a “mechanism of dehumanisation and orchestrated killing”.

The role of international NGOs is irreplaceable and Palestinian civilians are the one’s punished when life-saving humanitarian assistance is blocked.

Featured image via Nour Alsaqqa/MSF

By Charlie Jaay

This post was originally published on Canary.