Israel to suspend more than three dozen Gaza aid groups under new rules

Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said more than three dozen humanitarian groups will have their authorizations to operate in the Gaza Strip suspended on Jan. 1 and must clear out by March after failing to comply with new registration rules. Israeli officials said the new rules, intended to prevent militants from infiltrating aid groups, require organizations to submit lists of their Palestinian employees for review and other information.

The groups facing suspension did not provide the required material by the end-of-year deadline after operating under a "good-faith extension" since March. The organizations include Doctors Without Borders, which has resisted providing detailed information about its workers. The decision drew objections from the international community amid a fragile cease-fire that began in October and continued mass privation and hunger for about two million Palestinians after two years of war.

Key Topics

World, Israel, Doctors Without Borders, Gaza Strip, Cogat, United Nations