UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Israel to lift its ban on humanitarian agencies operating in Gaza, expressing deep concern over the move. Guterres emphasized that international non-governmental organizations are vital for life-saving aid, warning that the suspension could undermine fragile progress achieved during the ceasefire and worsen the humanitarian crisis for Palestinians.
Israel recently suspended 37 foreign humanitarian organizations from Gaza after they refused to provide lists of their Palestinian employees to government authorities. The ban affects groups including Doctors Without Borders, which employs 1,200 staff in the Palestinian territories, most of whom are in Gaza. The affected NGOs have been ordered to halt operations by March 1. Many organizations argue that the requirement violates international humanitarian law and threatens their independence.
Israel maintains that the regulation is intended to prevent organizations it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories. In response, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs criticized the ban, stating that the new framework breaches core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October, following Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. UN data indicates that nearly 80 percent of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, and around 1.5 million of Gaza’s over two million residents have lost their homes. The war has claimed more than 70,000 lives, according to Gaza authorities.
