Children in the Gaza Strip receive winter clothing kits from UNICEF. Gaza crisis: UN agencies call on Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian NGOs Humanitarian aid
Relief operations in Gaza could be on the brink of collapse unless Israel immediately lifts restrictions blocking the activities of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). UN humanitarian agencies working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) warn about this.
In a statement released Tuesday, a humanitarian group of UN agencies and more than 200 local and international organizations called on the global community to push for the lifting of measures that impede their work in the OPT, especially in the Gaza Strip.
The system in question is the registration system for international non-governmental organizations introduced earlier this year.
Flawed System
According to the statement, the registration process is politicized, not well defined, and cannot be implemented without violating humanitarian principles. Dozens of organizations risk being left unregistered by the end of December, and then could be forced to close within weeks.
The activities of these institutions are vital to the people of Gaza, representatives of humanitarian agencies emphasize. International NGOs, working with the UN and local partners, provide approximately one billion dollars in assistance annually throughout the protected area.
Loss of Essential Functions
Humanitarian groups have stressed that the impact of the closure of international NGOs cannot be made up by the UN or local groups, especially under Israeli restrictions imposed on the UN Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
International NGOs maintain much of Gaza’s basic infrastructure, according to the humanitarian group. They operate field hospitals and health posts, provide clean water and sanitation, provide emergency shelter, and treat children suffering from severe malnutrition.
Health facilities will be closed
If international NGOs leave the strip, every third health facility in Gaza will close almost immediately, leaving dozens without help thousands of patients.
Humanitarian officials said they had repeatedly raised these concerns with Israeli authorities and were looking for workable solutions to maintain operations. However, the situation has not changed, and the elimination of NGOs now appears inevitable.
Agencies stressed that humanitarian access is an obligation under international law, not a political choice.
Humanitarian leaders called on Israel to facilitate the rapid and unhindered delivery of aid and to ensure independent and secure working conditions. Without quick action, they warned, the consequences for Gazan civilians would be catastrophic. “Life-saving aid must be made available to the Palestinians without further delay,” the statement said.