Israel to bar 37 aid groups from Gaza amid harsh winter, as cancer patients face 'slow death'

Israel’s decision to revoke the licenses of 37 aid organisations carrying out life-saving humanitarian deliveries in Gaza has raised alarm bells around the world, amid Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza and its deadly ceasefire violations. 

The ban on the NGOs, which include Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council, and the International Rescue Committee, comes amid a brutal winter in Gaza, coupled with the unprecedented devastation and displacement caused by Israel's genocidal war.

This has resulted in a least 17 people dying of cold this month alone.

The organisations’ licenses will be suspended on 1 January, and their operations will fully come to an end in 60 days.

In recent months, Israel has made it harder for aid groups to operate in Gaza, by demanding excessive documentation as well as personal details and information on all of their staff.

Israel also banned any aid groups from working in Gaza if they had found that they denied the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, called for a boycott of Israel or participated in one, and supported the prosecution of Israeli forces in international courts, among other pretexts.

Many countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Japan and Finland, slammed Israel’s decision, warning it would have "catastrophic" impacts on people in the enclave.

Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs claimed that the reason behind the decision was due to the aid agencies' "refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees".

In recent weeks, footage has circulated showing displacement tents flooded, while other shelters are being swept away in strong winds. Torrential rain has battered the enclave for weeks, worsening conditions amid the devastated infrastructure.

Cancer patients face 'slow death'

The latest developments come as Gaza’s health ministry on Tuesday said that cancer patients in the enclave were facing a slow death as a result of Israel’s continued siege and restrictions on aid.

The ministry said there was a severe shortage of medicines and medical services, and that Israel continues to fail in fulfilling its obligations under the terms of the truce. It noted that restrictions were also in place at crossings, preventing patients from travelling to get treated.

Mohammed Abu Nada, the medical director of the Gaza Cancer Centre, said: "Cancer patients are facing a slow death sentence, which portends an unprecedented humanitarian and health catastrophe with serious and irreversible consequences".

The health ministry on 21 December said in a statement that the shortage of medicine had reached 70 percent due to the closure of crossings, which had already caused several cancer patients to die.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 71,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and has been determined to be a genocide by leading rights groups.