In a scathing statement released Tuesday, the humanitarian country team – which brings together senior UN officials and more than 200 local and international aid groups – called on the international community to pressure Israeli authorities to reverse measures that are stifling humanitarian work, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
At the center of concern is the new registration system for international non-governmental organizations, introduced earlier this year.
A flawed Israeli system
Humanitarian groups say the process is vague, politicized and impossible to implement without violating humanitarian principles.
Under current rules, Dozens of organizations face delisting by the end of December, followed by the forced closure of their operations within weeks.
“These organizations are not optional extras,” the statement said. “If they are expelled, the humanitarian response will not survive.”
International NGOs, working alongside UN agencies and Palestinian partners, provide approximately $1 billion worth of aid across the territory each year.
Yet millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, hygiene products and shelter materials are now stuck outside Gaza, unable to reach families in need.
The warning comes as winter intensifies and there are fears new restrictions could destabilize a fragile ceasefire.
Impossible loss
Aid agencies stressed that the impact of the loss of international NGOs could not be absorbed by the UN or local groups, especially after Israel’s limits on the Palestinian refugee aid agency. UNRWAhave already pushed the response to the breaking point.
According to the humanitarian country team, international NGOs support or manage much of Gaza’s basic infrastructure for survival.
They support field hospitals and primary health clinics, provide clean water and sanitation, distribute emergency shelter and treat severely malnourished children.
Health establishments will close
If forced to leave, one in three health facilities in Gaza would close almost immediately, interrupting care for tens of thousands of patients.
Humanitarian leaders said they had repeatedly raised these concerns with Israeli authorities and were seeking viable solutions to maintain operations.
“There have been no adjustments,” the statement said, warning that the dismantling of NGO operations now appears imminent.
Humanitarian access, the agencies insisted, is a legal obligation and not a political choice.
“Lifesaving aid must reach Palestinians without further delay“, the statement concluded, urging Israel to allow rapid and unhindered aid deliveries and to ensure that humanitarian organizations can operate independently and safely.
Without rapid action, the team warned, the consequences for civilians in Gaza would be catastrophic.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
