Israel to revoke licenses of 37 aid groups
Israel has announced it will revoke the operating licenses of 37 humanitarian organisations working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, citing non-compliance with new registration requirements introduced by the government. Among the organisations affected are several prominent international NGOs, including ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee and the Norwegian Refugee Council. According to Israeli authorities, their licenses will be suspended from 1 January, with their activities required to cease within 60 days. The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which oversees the registration process, said the decision was mainly due to the organisations’ failure to submit “complete and verifiable” personal information about their staff. The ministry argued that these details are necessary to prevent what it described as the infiltration of terrorist elements into humanitarian structures. The move has drawn strong criticism from the international community. In a joint statement, the […]