Israel bans dozens of aid groups from Gaza, despite immense needs

Israel bans dozens of aid groups from Gaza, despite immense needs Dozens of international aid groups, like Doctors Without Borders, are now banned from entering Gaza under new rules set by Israel.

International aid organizations say that after two years of war, Gaza needs far more medicine, tents and food than Israel is allowing in. But Israel is now barring those groups from bringing aid or international staff to the Palestinian enclave. NPR's Aya Batrawy reports.

AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Under new Israeli rules, at least 37 aid organizations will no longer be able to operate as they have been for decades in Gaza. These include widely recognized aid groups like Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, which operates hospital wards, clinics and mental health programs in Gaza. Israel now demands these organizations provide a detailed list of their staff and funding information. But MSF, who've had 15 of their Palestinian staff killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza in the war, are concerned their staff could be targeted as a result.

PASCAL QUASAR: We have expressed our concerns to the Israeli authorities about sharing the staff list because it is unclear, still, for us, what they are going to use it for.

BATRAWY: That's MSF emergency coordinator Pascal Quasar. She says they and other aid groups have held discussions with Israeli officials for months now about what this personal data will be used for, but they've received no clear answers.

PASCAL QUASAR: The use of the personal data information for now is still unclear and it has lacked transparency.

BATRAWY: The U.N. says around 400 aid workers were killed in Israeli attacks in the war. Many of them were targeted directly while working. Israel has accused some of being agents of Hamas and says its new long list of requirements is designed to prevent the infiltration of, quote, "terrorist operatives" in humanitarian aid distribution. But many aid groups didn't comply and Israel canceled the permits of dozens. The list of banned groups now includes Oxfam, which works on desalination and clean water, The Norwegian Refugee Council, which oversees tents and shelter supplies, Mercy Corps, which distributes food and basic aid, and many others. These aid groups also have provided detailed, critical accounts of what is happening in Gaza at a time when Israel is still barring international press from independent access.

BATRAWY: It's winter now in Gaza, and people's makeshift tents are flooding with rain. Children have died in the cold. Israel, which had already been blocking many of these groups from bringing in aid says this decision will have no major impact. But Gaza relies on aid for survival, and a joint statement by 10 countries like the U.K., France and Canada, says this will shut down a third of healthcare facilities in Gaza, calling it unacceptable.

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