Israel to halt operations of several aid organisations in Gaza in 2026

Jerusalem: Israel on Tuesday said it will suspend more than two dozen humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, for failing to meet its new rules to vet international organisations working in the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said that the organisations facing bans on January 1 didn’t meet new requirements for sharing staff, funding and operations information.

It accused Doctors Without Borders, one of the largest health organisations operating in Gaza, of failing to clarify the roles of some staff that Israel accused of cooperation with Hamas and other militant groups. International organisations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff. The ministry said that around 25 organisations, or 15 per cent, of nongovernmental organisations working in Gaza didn’t have their permits renewed.

Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel previously accused its staff of involvement in military activities in Gaza in 2024. At the time, the group said that it would never knowingly employ people engaged in military activity.

Other major organisations whose permits weren’t renewed include the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International, the International Rescue Committee, and divisions of major charities such as Oxfam and Caritas, according to a list from the ministry. The organisations help with a variety of social services, including food distribution, health care, disability services, education and mental health. Israel and international organisations have been at odds over the amount of aid going into Gaza. Israel says it’s upholding the aid commitments laid out in the latest ceasefire that took effect October 10, but humanitarian organisations dispute Israel’s numbers and say more aid is desperately needed in the devastated Palestinian territory of more than 2 million people.