Gaza warns of crisis as Israel targets international aid groups

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza have voiced grave concern over Israel’s decision to revoke the licences of dozens of international humanitarian organisations, warning that the move could trigger a fresh catastrophe in an already devastated enclave, the Al Jazeera reported.

Israel is set to bar 37 international non-governmental organisations from operating in Gaza from Thursday, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International and the International Rescue Committee. The Israeli government has said the step follows new regulations requiring aid agencies to disclose detailed information about their staff and activities, amid allegations, denied by the organisations, of links to Hamas.

For Gaza’s residents, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times and left without livelihoods, the prospect of losing humanitarian assistance has heightened fears of collapse in essential services.

“There is no alternative to these organisations,” said Siraj al-Masri, a displaced Palestinian in Khan Younis. “We have no income, no money. Only a few medical points remain, and without them the situation will become catastrophic, especially for the injured and wounded.”

Similar concerns were echoed by Ramzi Abu al-Neel, another Gaza resident, who warned that the withdrawal of aid groups would have deadly consequences. “Even with humanitarian organisations present, the situation is already tragic,” he said. “If their support is removed, many children will die and families will be destroyed.”

Despite a ceasefire, Israel has continued military operations in Gaza and maintained tight restrictions on the entry of aid and basic goods, including temporary housing. With much of the territory reduced to rubble, more than one million people are enduring harsh winter conditions in makeshift shelters, while the collapse of economic activity has left the population almost entirely dependent on external assistance.

“Most people rely completely on international aid,” said Abdullah al-Hawajri, a displaced resident of Khan Younis. “Without it, survival becomes impossible.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) condemned Israel’s move, warning that it would further undermine humanitarian operations. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the decision set a “dangerous precedent” and risked eroding the core humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence and impartiality.

Israel has already passed several measures in recent years aimed at restricting UNRWA’s activities, despite the agency’s central role in delivering food, healthcare and education in Gaza. Lazzarini described the latest action as part of a broader pattern of impediments to aid delivery and disregard for international humanitarian law.

International concern has also grown. The foreign ministers of 10 countries, including Canada, France, Japan and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement urging Israel to ensure that international NGOs can operate in Gaza in a “sustained and predictable” manner. Any attempt to curtail their work, they said, was unacceptable given the scale of urgent needs.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, around 500 aid workers and volunteers have been killed during the past two years of conflict, as Israel’s blockade pushed the territory towards famine.

Critics argue that the proposed ban may also contravene the ceasefire framework and provisions of US President Donald Trump’s “20-point peace plan”, which calls for the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid through the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other international bodies.

Many of the organisations now facing expulsion form part of the UN-backed system responsible for distributing food, medical supplies and shelter across Gaza. Aid agencies and residents alike warn that without them, the humanitarian crisis could spiral further out of control.