GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Hamas Movement warned of the serious implications of Israeli media reports indicating that the Israeli government intends to cancel the licenses of dozens of international aid organizations operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hamas described the move as a dangerous escalation against humanitarian work.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Hamas said the move reflects a “blatant disregard for the international community and the global humanitarian system,” and comes as part of Israel’s effort to politicize aid work and use it as a tool of pressure.
Hamas pointed out that Israel is attempting to weaponize humanitarian aid as a means of blackmail against the Palestinian people, who are facing an intensifying humanitarian catastrophe, especially in Gaza, as a result of the occupation’s ongoing policies.
The Movement called on the international community, particularly the United Nations, and human rights and humanitarian organizations to take immediate and effective action to condemn these measures and pressure the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse this policy.
Hamas also emphasized the need to prevent Israel from using humanitarian aid as a weapon of starvation and suffering, in clear violation of international law.
On Tuesday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli government had initiated steps to revoke the work licenses of several international organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), under the pretext that they had failed to meet legal registration requirements.
According to the newspaper, a joint ministerial committee led by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the Ministry for Combating Antisemitism is behind this move. The committee has reportedly sent official letters to more than ten international organizations, informing them that their licenses will be canceled effective January 1, and that their operations must cease entirely by March 1, 2026.
The report also noted that some organizations refused to comply with Israel’s demand to provide a full list of their Palestinian staff members for so-called “security vetting”, an action based on unproven allegations that employees at Doctors Without Borders were involved in activities labeled as “terrorism.”
For its part, the European Union also warned that banning 37 international organizations from operating in Gaza would prevent life-saving aid from reaching the devastated population.
EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Hajjah Lahbib, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “The EU has been clear: the current registration law cannot be implemented as is.”
Her remarks came after Israeli authorities announced that any international organization failing to submit a list of its Palestinian staff by Wednesday would be banned from operating in Gaza in 2026.
Lahbib said, “The law on international humanitarian assistance leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those who need it.”
