A Palestinian woman arrives with a child at the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2025. OMAR AL-QATTAA / AFP
Israel said on Thursday, January 1 that 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza had not complied with a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards," in particular disclosing information on their Palestinian staff, and that it "will enforce" a ban on their activities.
The groups will now be required to cease their operations by March 1, which the United Nations has warned will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
"Organisations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement on Thursday.
Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence, while Israel has faced international criticism in the run-up to the deadline.
