International UN chief calls on Israel to lift work ban
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling on Israel to reverse the withdrawal of licenses for dozens of international aid organizations.
03.01.2026, 01:46
SDA
According to his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres warned that Israel's measure would further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinians. 37 organizations are affected by Israel's measure, including Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam. They reject the registration required by Israel from January 1, 2026 as unlawful.
The organizations must now permanently suspend their activities until March. "We call on the Israeli government to immediately stop the procedures to revoke registration and to lift the measures that hinder humanitarian aid," reads a joint statement by 53 international non-governmental organizations distributed by Oxfam. "We appeal to donor countries to use all available means to achieve the suspension and withdrawal of these measures," it says.
Doctors Without Borders: Israel violates international law
Israel's measure also affects activities in the Gaza Strip, which has been largely destroyed by the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. The Israeli government's threat to refuse registration to the organizations is "a cynical and calculated attempt to prevent the organizations from providing aid in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In doing so, Israel is violating its obligations under international humanitarian law," according to a statement by Médecins Sans Frontières.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry had previously stated that the registration was intended to "prevent the involvement of terrorist elements and protect the integrity of humanitarian work". Critics, on the other hand, see the government's requirements as unclear provisions that allow arbitrary decisions to be made.
International organizations are also supposed to disclose confidential information about Palestinian employees and dismiss employees on request without giving reasons. The involvement of a party to the conflict in the vetting of personnel is seen as a violation of humanitarian principles such as neutrality and independence. Offers for a review by neutral bodies have so far been rejected.
