Displaced people in Gaza warn new restrictions on aid groups will ‘lead to catastrophe’ in the devastated enclave.
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are sounding the alarm about Israel’s looming ban against dozens of international groups that provide life-saving assistance and services in the devastated territory.
Siraj al-Masri, a Palestinian in Khan Younis, stressed on Wednesday that there is “no alternative” to the aid organisations helping besieged Palestinians in Gaza.
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“Where are we supposed to go? We have no income, no money,” al-Masri told media.
“Only a few medical points remain. This makes the situation extremely difficult and will lead to a catastrophe for the injured and the wounded. Even ordinary people who come seeking treatment will face severe hardship.”
Israel is moving to revoke the licences of 37 international NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials MSF), as it pushes to demonise organisations that assist Palestinians, among them United Nations agencies, with unproven accusations of links to Hamas.
Israel said the ban, which starts on Thursday and also includes the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International, and the International Rescue Committee, among other groups, stems from new regulations that require aid organisations to reveal details about their staff and work.
“Even with the presence of humanitarian organisations, the situation is already tragic,” Gaza resident Ramzi Abu al-Neel told media.
“If their support and presence are removed, God knows what will happen. Many children will die, and lives will be destroyed, and many families will be devastated by this decision.”
On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 10 countries – including Canada, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom – released a joint statement urging Israel to ensure that international NGOs “are able to operate in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way”.
“Any attempt to stem their ability to operate is unacceptable. Without them it will be impossible to meet all urgent needs at the scale required,” it said.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza and impose restrictions on the entry of aid and basic goods to the enclave, including temporary housing.
With most of Gaza turned to rubble, more than one million people have faced harsh winter weather while living in makeshift tents. And in the absence of economic activity amid the destruction, Gaza’s population remains heavily dependent on international aid.
“Most people rely entirely on the assistance that comes from international organisations,” Abdullah al-Hawajri, a displaced Palestinian in Khan Younis, told media.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) also decried Israel’s move, saying it is “further compromising the humanitarian operation” in crisis-stricken Gaza.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the Israeli decision sets a “dangerous precedent”.
“Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organisations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world,” Lazzarini said in a statement.
In 2025, Israel approved several measures to ban UNRWA – a vital facilitator for aid and vital services in Gaza – and curtail its work.
Lazzarini said the latest decision against aid groups is “part of a troubling pattern of disregard for international humanitarian law and increasing impediments to aid operations”.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel killed about 500 aid workers and volunteers during its two-year genocidal war, as it imposed a suffocating blockade on the enclave, triggering a deadly famine.
The Israeli ban appears to violate the ceasefire agreement and US President Donald Trump’s “20-point peace plan”.
“Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party,” Trump’s plan says.
Many of the groups facing the ban are part of the established, UN-backed mechanism for aid distribution.
