Which aid groups is Israel banning from Gaza now – and what will it mean?
View of humanitarian supplies for Gaza with the logos of Doctors Without Borders (MSF} and the World Health Organization, stored at the Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses in the Egyptian border town of El Arish
Usaid Siddiqui and News Agencies write in Al Jazeeera on 31 December 2025:
Israel said it will suspend permits for more than three dozen aid organisations for allegedly failing to meet new requirements for operating in war-devastated Gaza, a move likely to worsen already dire conditions for Palestinians in the enclave.
Organisations facing bans as of January 1, 2026 have failed to meet new requirements for sharing detailed information about their staff, funding and operations, Israeli authorities said on Tuesday.
The Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said that while humanitarian assistance was welcome, “exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism” was not.
The decision comes as a coalition of foreign ministers from countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan and the Nordic states urged Israel to ensure nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) can operate “sustained and predictable” aid deliveries, while expressing serious concerns about the humanitarian situation in the Strip.
So, why is Israel suspending these aid groups, and how will it affect Palestinians in Gaza?
Why is Israel suspending these groups?
The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said the measure was part of Israel’s decision to “strengthen and update” the rules overseeing the work of international NGOs in the war-torn Palestinian territory. “Humanitarian organisations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licences suspended,” it said in a statement.
The ministry added that groups which had “failed to cooperate and refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism” had been formally notified that their licences would be revoked from January 1. The aid groups were given 10 months to provide the requested information but “failed to comply with the requirements”, it claimed.