UN Chief Calls on Israel to Reverse NGOs Ban in Gaza

“Guterres is calling for this measure to be withdrawn, stressing that international non-governmental organizations are indispensable for life-saving humanitarian work and that a suspension risks undermining the fragile progress made during the ceasefire,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

“This latest action will further worsen the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians,” he added.

Israel on Thursday suspended access to the Gaza Strip for 37 foreign humanitarian organizations that refused to share lists of their Palestinian employees with government officials.

The ban also covers Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which has 1,200 staff in the Palestinian territories, mostly in Gaza.

NGOs within the scope of the ban were instructed to stop their activities as of March 1.

Many NGOs said the requirements violated international humanitarian law or jeopardized their independence.

Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent organizations it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in Palestinian territory.

On Thursday, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs condemned the decision to ban their international counterparts, saying “the new registration framework violates basic humanitarian principles such as independence and impartiality.”

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October following a deadly war launched by Israel in response to Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In November, authorities in Gaza announced that more than 70,000 people had been killed since the war began.

According to UN data, almost 80 percent of buildings in Gaza were destroyed or damaged by war; This resulted in massive destruction of infrastructure.

Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza, said that about 1.5 million of Gaza’s more than two million residents lost their homes.