“The occupation government’s decision to revoke the operating licences of dozens of international relief organisations constitutes a dangerous escalation and a blatant disregard for the humanitarian system,” Hamas said in a statement.
“We call on the international community, and the United Nations in particular … to take urgent and effective action to condemn this criminal behaviour,” it added.
Israel has announced 37 aid organisations will be banned from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they comply with guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff, drawing criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.
Several NGOs have announced that the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, at a time when humanitarian organisations say the amount of aid getting in is inadequate to the devastated territory’s needs.
Israel’s deadline for NGOs to provide the details expires at midnight on Wednesday.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas attack on the occupied territories on October 7, 2023.
Some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE and Oxfam.
On Wednesday, the United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel’s decision as “outrageous”, calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.
“Israel’s suspension of numerous aid agencies from Gaza is outrageous,” he stated in a statement, warning that “such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza”.
On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of ten countries, including France and the United Kingdom, had already urged Israel to “guarantee access” to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains “catastrophic.”
In a territory with 2.2 million inhabitants, “1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support,” the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said.
While a deal for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.