In the occupied Palestinian territory, 17 international aid groups have petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court to allow them to continue their life-saving operations in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The Israeli government has ordered 37 aid groups to halt their work in these areas as of March 1. The aid groups have appealed to the Supreme Court seeking an urgent suspension of the plan.
The Israeli government says the ban is due to the expiration of the aid groups' Israeli work registrations and their failure to provide lists of personal details on their Palestinian staff. However, the aid groups argue that compliance with the Israeli orders would expose their Palestinian staff to potential retaliation and undermine the principle of humanitarian neutrality.
Oxfam International warned that the forced closure of aid operations in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory could have immediate and devastating consequences for Palestinians. The organisation stated that families in Gaza remain dependent on external assistance amid continuing restrictions on aid entry and renewed strikes in densely populated areas.
Regional Context
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, military incursions, demolitions, displacement, settlement expansion, and settler violence are driving rising humanitarian needs, according to Oxfam. The aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and CARE, have proposed practical alternatives to handing over staff lists to Israeli authorities.
The United Nations has reported that 133 NGO workers have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. The aid agencies have stated that stopping their activities will lead to a “humanitarian collapse and irreparable harm” for hundreds of thousands of people in need.
The petitioners have expressed concern that the ban will affect the vast majority of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents, who rely on aid groups for food, water, healthcare, shelter, and other essentials. The court action is ongoing, with the aid groups seeking an urgent interim injunction from the court pending a full judicial review of the Israeli order.
Source: Al Jazeera
