Despite protests, Israel has revoked the licenses of dozens of international humanitarian organizations.
Israeli authorities have required registration for work from Thursday, January 1, which many organizations reject as illegal.
According to the Foreign Ministry, they must cease operations by March. It is also affecting operations in the Gaza Strip, largely devastated by the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist militia Hamas.
A total of 37 organizations were affected, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Oxfam.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called Israel's actions “outrageous.”
Israel's Foreign Ministry said the registration was intended to “prevent the participation of terrorist elements and protect the integrity of humanitarian work.”
Israeli Ambassador to Belgium Idit Rosenzweig-Abu justified these actions in a post on Platform X.
She wrote that 104 organizations submitted applications for registration in accordance with the established procedure, of which only nine were refused. She said 37 affected organizations did not complete the process because they refused to provide a list of their local staff.
Israel accuses MSF of having at least one employee involved in terrorist activities.
“The 37 organizations are more than happy to complete the process as the other organizations have done,” Rosenzweig-Abu wrote.
Affected organizations did not deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire, and even before that their contribution was only 1% of total aid, she said.
