As Israel cracks down on international aid groups supporting Palestinians after decimating Gaza’s healthcare system, eight NGOs have told Al Jazeera they will defy an order to provide information about their colleagues in the strip and the rest of occupied Palestinian territory.Action Aid, Alianza por la Solidaridad, Medecins du Monde, Medicos Del Mundo, Premiere Urgence Internationale, American Friends Service Committee, Medico International and Medical Aid For Palestinians have joined Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, in refusing to comply with Israel’s requirements for registration.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“It’s an absolute red line,” a Premiere Urgence Internationale spokesperson told Al Jazeera. Sending lists about employees to Israel “would potentially endanger the lives of our staff”.Medecins du Monde said, “Humanitarian access is not optional, conditional, or political. Israel is unconditionally obliged to facilitate relief schemes under international humanitarian law.”Since Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza began in October 2023, its military has killed more than 550 aid workers, including 15 MSF staff.On January 1, Israel withdrew the licences of 37 aid organisations, saying they had not shared data about their employees, funding and operations. According to rules set out by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, the information to be handed over for the sake of “security and transparency” includes copies of passports, CVs and names of family members, including children. Advertisement Al Jazeera contacted all 37 aid groups. Overall, 10 have said they will refuse to provide Israel with staff lists, four said they would not comment and the rest did not respond. The International Rescue Committee said it was “in touch with relevant authorities” and was seeking a way to sustain the delivery of life-saving aid.‘Pretext to obstruct humanitar …
