Dozens of humanitarian organizations have petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to continue operating in the Gaza Strip. Israel ordered 37 international groups to cease activities within 60 days unless they disclose staff names, a requirement the NGOs view as a security risk. The groups warn of severe humanitarian consequences if they cannot operate in the war-ravaged area.
In late December, Israel ordered 37 international organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and the Norwegian Refugee Council, to stop working in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank within 60 days unless they provide details about their staff. The NGOs filed a joint petition with Israel's Supreme Court last Sunday, seeking an urgent suspension of the decision.
The groups argue that disclosing staff names poses a security risk, particularly after hundreds of humanitarian workers have been killed or injured during the war in Gaza. 'Sharing this information could represent a security risk,' they state in a press release. Israel justified the measure to prevent aid diversion to Palestinian armed groups, but the agencies contest any substantial diversion. The Israeli government did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
The petition, filed by Israeli lawyer Yotam Ben-Hillel, requests the removal of the name disclosure requirement and allows NGOs with suspended registrations to continue operating in the interim. Some of these organizations provide specialized services, such as field hospitals. A UN-led coordination body warned that authorized entities can only meet a fraction of Gaza's humanitarian needs, where housing shortages and widespread hunger persist.
Anne-Claire Yaeesh from the NGO Humanity and Inclusion reported that foreign staff responsible for unexploded ordnance education left Gaza last week, and the group cannot hire new ones due to the registration suspension.
In a related context, on Monday (23), foreign ministers from Brazil, France, Spain, Turkey, and other countries condemned Israeli decisions on the West Bank, approved on February 15, which strengthen control and facilitate settlement. The joint statement, also signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar, called the measures an 'unacceptable de facto annexation' and a violation of international law.
