UN chief Guterres calls on Israel to reverse ban on NGOs in Gaza and West Bank | United Nations News

Guterres says the looming ban targets groups “critical to rescue work” and undermines ceasefire progress.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to return to a ban pending of 37 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

In a statement released Friday, Guterres called the groups’ work “indispensable to life-saving humanitarian work,” according to spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. He added that “the suspension risks undermining the fragile progress made during the ceasefire.”

Israel banned aid groups for failing to comply with new registration rules requiring aid groups working in the occupied territory to provide “detailed information about their staff members, funding and operations.” He pledged to implement the ban from March 1.

Experts have denounced the demands as arbitrary and contrary to humanitarian principles. Aid groups have said providing Israel with personal information about their Palestinian employees could put them at risk.

Target groups include several national chapters of Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym, MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council and the International Rescue Committee.

To date, Israel has killed approximately 500 aid workers and volunteers in Gaza during its genocidal war. In total, at least 71,271 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

In his statement, Guterres said the ban on NGOs “comes on top of previous restrictions that have already delayed the entry of essential supplies of food, medical care, hygiene and shelter into Gaza.”

“This recent action will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians,” he said.

Almost the entire population of Gaza has been displaced throughout the war, and many still live in tents or temporary shelters.

Israel had maintained severe restrictions on aid entering the enclave before a ceasefire took effect in October. Under the terms of the deal, Israel was supposed to provide unhindered access to aid.

But aid groups said Israel continued to prevent an adequate flow of aid. Ongoing restrictions include materials that could be used to provide better shelter and flood protection. devastating winter stormsaccording to the UN.

Earlier on Friday, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia. warned that “deteriorating” conditions threatened to cause even more deaths in Gaza.

“Flooded camps, damaged tents, collapsing damaged buildings and exposure to cold temperatures coupled with malnutrition have significantly increased the risks to civilian lives,” they said in a statement.

They called on the international community “to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift restrictions on entry and distribution of essential supplies, including tents, shelter equipment, medical assistance, drinking water, fuel and sanitation.”