DaysofPal – Several international humanitarian organizations working in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory have refused Israeli demands to hand over detailed information about their staff, warning that compliance would place aid workers at serious risk and undermine core humanitarian principles.
Eight non-governmental organizations told Al Jazeera they would not comply with Israel’s registration requirements, joining Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) in defying the order. The organizations include Action Aid, Alianza por la Solidaridad, Médecins du Monde, Medicos del Mundo, Première Urgence Internationale, the American Friends Service Committee, Medico International, and Medical Aid for Palestinians.
A spokesperson for Première Urgence Internationale described the demand as “an absolute red line,” saying that submitting employee lists to Israeli authorities could endanger staff lives. Médecins du Monde stressed that humanitarian access cannot be conditional or politicized, stating that Israel has an obligation under international humanitarian law to facilitate relief operations.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 550 humanitarian workers have been killed, including 15 staff members from MSF. Aid organizations say the new registration requirements deepen the risks faced by those still operating in the territory.
On January 1, Israeli authorities revoked the licenses of 37 aid groups, citing their refusal to provide detailed information about employees, funding, and operations. Rules issued by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism require organizations to submit copies of passports, CVs, and personal details of staff and family members, including children, under the justification of “security and transparency.”
Al Jazeera contacted all 37 organizations affected by the decision. Ten confirmed they would not comply with the requirements, four declined to comment, and the remaining groups did not respond. The International Rescue Committee said it was in contact with Israeli authorities and was seeking ways to continue delivering life-saving assistance.
ActionAid said the measures form part of a broader campaign to dismantle systems that sustain Palestinian life. The organization warned that the conditions force charities to accept political and ideological demands unrelated to humanitarian work, violating data protection standards, labor laws, and the principle of neutrality.
Humanitarian groups also accuse Israeli officials of inciting hostility against aid workers by making unsubstantiated allegations that some organizations or staff are linked to Hamas. MSF has rejected Israeli claims that it employed fighters, calling them baseless.
On Sunday, Israeli authorities ordered MSF to halt its activities in Gaza by February 28. The organization, which runs 20 health clinics in the Strip, said the decision was a pretext to obstruct humanitarian assistance. MSF explained that it refused to hand over staff names because Israeli authorities failed to provide assurances regarding employee safety, data protection, and the independence of medical operations.
Ghassan Abu Sittah, a British-Palestinian surgeon who has volunteered in Gaza, said the dismantling of humanitarian operations is a continuation of the destruction of the health system. He noted that aid groups have become even more essential since Palestinian healthcare infrastructure was devastated, adding that much of the clinical work is now carried out by Palestinian doctors employed by these organizations.
MSF initially agreed to the registration process but later reversed its position after Israel failed to address safety concerns. The organization currently provides 20 percent of Gaza’s hospital beds. During 2025, it conducted around 800,000 medical consultations and assisted in one out of every three births in the enclave, services it said cannot easily be replaced.
Israeli authorities have stated that alternative medical arrangements are being considered following MSF’s removal, a claim that has alarmed medical professionals. Emergency physician James Smith, who has worked in Gaza, warned that Israel may attempt to establish controlled, pseudo-humanitarian structures similar to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. That US- and Israel-backed initiative saw more than 850 Palestinians killed near aid distribution sites during its six months of operation in 2025.
Smith said humanitarian language could be used to mask systems that enforce control rather than deliver care, arguing that denying access to medical treatment, food, water, and shelter constitutes acts of genocide alongside military violence.
Medico International said the registration drive aims to force aid organizations into compliance with Israeli policies or to criminalize them if they refuse. Medical Aid for Palestinians described the order as a deliberate political attack intended to silence and control humanitarian actors, stressing that international law obliges Israel to facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance rather than obstruct it.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=71866
