Israel Revokes Licenses of 37 Aid Groups in Gaza

Wed Dec 31 2025 03:01:37 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Israel announces the suspension of 37 aid organizations in Gaza, citing compliance issues with new registration laws, leading to international criticism over potential impacts on humanitarian efforts.

Israel is set to revoke the licenses of 37 aid groups, including ActionAid and the International Rescue Committee, claiming they did not meet new registration requirements. This decision, effective January 1, has faced significant backlash from foreign ministers of 10 countries, who argue it will severely affect access to essential services amid an already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israel insists the move is necessary to prevent security risks, while ongoing operations through vetted channels will continue.

Israel is to revoke the licenses of 37 aid groups working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, saying they failed to meet requirements under new registration rules.

Well-known international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) such as ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee, and the Norwegian Refugee Council are among those that will have their licenses suspended on 1 January, with their operations to end within 60 days.

Israel said the groups, among other things, had failed to hand over 'complete' personal details of their staff.

The move was heavily criticised by foreign ministers from 10 countries including the UK, who said the new rules were 'restrictive' and 'unacceptable'.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the UK, France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland said the forced closure of INGO operations would 'have a severe impact on access to essential services including healthcare'.

They added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remained 'catastrophic' and called on Israel's government to ensure INGOs were able to operate 'in a sustained and predictable way'.

Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which is in charge of registration applications, said the new measures would not impact the flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

It added that aid continued to be delivered through 'approved and vetted channels', including UN agencies, bilateral partners, and humanitarian organisations.

It said the primary reason aid groups were having their licenses revoked was 'the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees,' which it said was critical to preventing 'the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures'.

Earlier this month, UN-backed experts said there had been improvements in nutrition and food supplies in Gaza since a ceasefire was brokered between Israel and Hamas in October, but 100,000 people still experienced 'catastrophic conditions' the following month.

Israeli military body Cogat, which controls Gaza's crossings, said the organisations that will be suspended 'did not bring aid into Gaza throughout the current ceasefire'.

It added that 'even in the past their combined contribution amounted to only about 1% of the total aid volume'.

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said that fewer than 15% of organisations providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza were found to be in violation of the new regulatory framework.

That framework includes several grounds for rejection, including:

Denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state
Denying the Holocaust or the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023
Supporting an armed struggle against Israel by an enemy state or terrorist organisation
Promoting 'delegitimisation campaigns' against Israel
Calling for a boycott of Israel or committing to participate in one
Supporting the prosecution of Israeli security forces in foreign or international courts

The Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory warned that the new registration system 'fundamentally jeopardises' the operations of INGOs in Gaza and the West Bank.

They stated, 'The system relies on vague, arbitrary, and highly politicised criteria and imposes requirements that humanitarian organisations cannot meet without violating international legal obligations or compromising core humanitarian principles.'

In a statement, Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, said: 'The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome — the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not.'

Other organisations to be suspended include CARE, Medico International, and Medical Aid for Palestinians.