Gaza Genocide01 January, 20262 min read
Israel Bans 37 Aid Groups in Gaza and Occupied West Bank; UN Chief Guterres Demands Reversal
Israel revoked operating licences of 37 international aid organisations in Gaza and the West Bank UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded Israel reverse the ban, calling groups indispensable for life-saving aid
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Aid groups licence revocations
Israeli authorities announced they will revoke the licences of 37 international humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, naming groups such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE and the International Rescue Committee. Israel says the move follows new registration rules requiring detailed disclosures about staff, funding and operations and plans to enforce bans with deadlines in early 2026. Several outlets report the ban's effective enforcement dates differently but consistently list the same core groups and the requirement to disclose Palestinian staff and operational details.
“Israel will revoke the licences of 37 international humanitarian organisations, including MSF, NRC, CARE and the IRC, citing new disclosure rules and alleged links to Hamas — a move that has drawn sharp international and UN criticism for threatening Gaza’s already devastated health and aid systems and risking violations of international humanitarian obligations.”
The Israeli government frames the action as a security and regulatory measure intended to prevent militant infiltration. NGOs say the rules are unlawful, unsafe and would force them to stop critical services.
NGO registration controversy
Israel and its supporters say the new registration regime is justified by national security and transparency, requiring identification of Palestinian staff and disclosure of funding. Israeli statements and outlets sympathetic to the government have repeated accusations that some NGO staff have links to militants.
NGOs and rights bodies say those allegations are unproven and dangerous. NGOs including MSF have rejected demands to hand over staff lists as unlawful and unsafe, arguing the requirement undermines humanitarian neutrality and places local staff at risk.
Calls to restore aid access
UN chief António Guterres and other international officials have publicly demanded that Israel reverse the ban, warning it would undermine lifesaving operations and the fragile progress of ceasefire arrangements. Guterres said the NGOs' work is 'indispensable to life-saving humanitarian work' and cautioned that suspending them could 'undermine the fragile progress made during the ceasefire.'
“UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Israel to reverse a pending ban on 37 NGOs operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, saying their work is ‘indispensable to life-saving humanitarian work’ and that suspending them could ‘undermine the fragile progress made during the ceasefire.’”
UN human-rights chief Volker Türk called the move 'outrageous.' A group of ten foreign ministers also urged Israel to guarantee continued aid access.
Impact of Gaza aid ban
Humanitarian organisations and multiple media outlets warn the ban will devastate Gaza’s battered health, water and food systems. International NGOs deliver nearly $1 billion annually to the occupied Palestinian territory. MSF reports it provided hundreds of thousands of consultations and trauma treatments in 2025.
Aid levels remain far below agreed ceasefire targets, with only roughly 100-300 trucks entering daily compared with a 600-truck target. Reports highlight the high human cost already borne by aid workers, with hundreds killed during the war. Analysts predict the ban will cut hundreds of thousands of Palestinians off essential care, worsening winter exposure, malnutrition and risks to children.