UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged Israel to reverse its decision to bar dozens of humanitarian organizations from operating in Gaza, warning that the move threatens already fragile progress made under the current ceasefire. He said he is deeply concerned by the ban and stressed that international aid groups are essential for life saving work in the territory.
According to the UN, suspending these organizations risks worsening the humanitarian emergency facing Palestinians. Israel imposed the ban on 37 foreign NGOs after they declined to hand over lists of their Palestinian employees to government officials. The order affects major groups including Doctors Without Borders, which employs more than a thousand staff across the Palestinian territories, most of them in Gaza. All affected organizations have been instructed to halt operations by March 1.
Several NGOs say the new requirements violate international humanitarian law and compromise their independence. Israel argues the regulations are necessary to prevent groups it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the region.
The decision has drawn criticism inside Israel as well. Eighteen Israel based left wing organizations condemned the ban, saying the new framework undermines core humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence.
The ban comes amid a fragile ceasefire that has held since October, following a devastating war triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. By November, authorities in Gaza reported more than 70,000 deaths since the conflict began. UN data shows nearly 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, leaving infrastructure in ruins. Around 1.5 million people have lost their homes, according to the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza.
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