- OIC Condemns Israel Decision to Bar 37 Aid Groups from Gaza
- EU says Israel suspending Gaza
The UN rights chief described Wednesday Israel's threat to suspend dozens of aid groups from operating in Gaza from January as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.
"Israel's suspension of numerous aid agencies from Gaza is outrageous," Volker Turk said in a statement.
"Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza," he warned.
His comment came after Israel said that 37 aid organisations will be banned from operating in Gaza starting Thursday, unless they comply with its new guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff.
Israel has singled out international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), alleging that it had two employees who were members of Palestinian fighter groups.
Apart from MSF, some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE and Oxfam, according to the list given by Zwick.
Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza, with humanitarian organisations saying the amount of aid entering the region remains inadequate.
"This is the latest in a pattern of unlawful restrictions on humanitarian access," Turk said, pointing to Israel's ban on the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and "attacks on Israeli and Palestinian NGOs amid broader access issues faced by the UN and other humanitarians".
"I urge all States, in particular those with influence, to take urgent steps and insist that Israel immediately allows aid to get into Gaza unhindered," he said.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said he wanted to "remind the Israeli authorities of their obligation under international law to ensure the essential supplies of daily life in Gaza".
This, he stressed, includes "allowing and facilitating humanitarian relief".
EU CONCERN
The EU warned Wednesday that Israel's threat to suspend several aid groups in Gaza from January would block "life-saving" assistance from reaching the population, AFP reported from Brussels.
"The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form," EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib posted on X, after Israel said several groups would be barred for failing to provide details of their Palestinian employees.
"IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need," Lahbib wrote.
NGOs had until December 31 to register under the new framework, which Israel says aims to prevent "hostile actors" operating in the Palestinian territories, rather than impede aid.
The Israeli government told AFP earlier this month that 14 NGO requests had been rejected as of November 25.
Several NGOs said the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza, with humanitarian organisations saying the amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.
While an accord for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the UN.
Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said last week that on average 4,200 aid trucks enter Gaza weekly, which corresponds to around 600 daily.
OIC CONDEMNS
The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) has strongly condemned an Israeli decision to prevent 37 international NGOs from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip, QNA reported from Jeddah.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the OIC's general secretariat said the NGOs played a vital and irreplaceable role in easing the humanitarian and medical crisis in Gaza.
It warned that the arbitrary measure would significantly worsen what it called the territory's already catastrophic humanitarian situation, citing Israeli restrictions that it said were limiting the flow of sufficient humanitarian and medical assistance into Gaza.
The OIC said the decision was illegal and amounted to a serious violation of international humanitarian law. It also referred to an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which it said obliges an occupying power to facilitate the work of international and humanitarian organisations and to allow the unimpeded delivery of adequate aid to Gaza.
The organisation called on the international community to take action and apply effective pressure on Israel to reverse the decision.
