GAZA: Israel has said 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 said 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.
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 said in a statement, warning that “such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza”. The European Union also warned that Israel’s decision would block “life-saving” assistance from reaching Gazans. — AFP
