Israeli Restrictions on Aid Organizations in Gaza
Israel implemented new security and transparency regulations on January 1, preventing Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and dozens of other international aid organizations from bringing aid or international staff into Gaza and the occupied West Bank. This decision has placed significant pressure on these groups, leading to concerns about potential facility closures.
Impact on Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
MSF, which operates 20 healthcare facilities and medical points in Gaza, has reported that its requests to Israel for aid entry and staff rotation have been refused. MSF employs 1,100 staff in Gaza, with approximately 50 being international personnel who are now unable to enter. The organization stated it provided care to approximately 1 million people in Gaza last year.
At an MSF clinic in Gaza City, patients include Mohammed Ibrahim, a 14-year-old who has undergone three surgeries after an accident while attempting to obtain food. His mother reported that MSF provided pain relief that assisted her son in sleeping. Other cases observed included an 8-year-old girl with severe burns receiving physical therapy and individuals receiving mental health support.
Israel's Stated Rationale
Israel stated that approximately 40 international aid organizations were banned for failing to meet new security and transparency standards. These requirements, implemented after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, include full disclosure of employee identities and roles. Israel asserts that these rules aim to prevent the exploitation of aid by Hamas. COGAT, Israel's military arm overseeing goods entry into Gaza, indicated that humanitarian assistance in Gaza does not depend on MSF's presence and that organizations had a ten-month period to comply with licensing requirements.
Response from Aid Groups and International Community
More than 50 international aid groups, including MSF, responded in an open letter, stating they were unable to provide personal staff data to a party in the conflict. MSF's emergency coordinator, Pascal Coissard, noted concerns regarding the unclear intended use of staff lists by Israeli authorities. MSF, which has operated in Palestinian territories since 1989, denies Israeli allegations that two of its killed employees had ties with militant groups. MSF views the ban as a violation of international humanitarian law.
United Nations agencies working in Gaza issued a joint statement urging Israel to reverse the ban, citing potential negative impacts on humanitarian efforts, especially during winter, which has contributed to child deaths from hypothermia. Ten countries, including the UK, France, and Canada, also criticized Israel's ban as "unacceptable," noting that international aid groups manage a third of Gaza's healthcare facilities.
Reporting and Advocacy by Aid Organizations
Many of the banned aid groups have published reports and provided firsthand accounts from Gaza, which have been referenced in media and international discussions. Under Israel's new registration requirements, licenses can be revoked if groups engage in "delegitimization activities against Israel." Some groups that signed a letter supporting a UN commission's determination of genocide in Gaza (a claim Israel denies) are among those now banned. MSF previously published a report detailing what it described as "orchestrated killing" of Palestinians near aid sites in Gaza. MSF stated that if its team's observations are unpalatable, "the fault lies with those committing these atrocities, not with those who speak of them."