UN humanitarian agencies urge Israel to revoke ban on aid groups

GENEVA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Multiple United Nations (UN) humanitarian agencies and international organizations jointly issued a statement on Wednesday, calling on Israel to revoke its ban on the operations of international aid organizations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The statement said that international aid organizations play a central role in humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, providing nearly one billion U.S. dollars in assistance annually.

It noted that in Gaza, with winter worsening families' suffering, high acute food insecurity continuing, and the need for life-saving aid remaining critical, banning aid groups could undermine the fragile progress achieved during the ceasefire and have devastating consequences for vulnerable children, women, and men.

The statement emphasized that humanitarian access is neither optional nor subject to conditions or political considerations, and that it constitutes a legal obligation under international humanitarian law as well as a fundamental requirement for the protection of human rights.

Signatories to the statement include Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator; Qu Dongyu, director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization; Amy E. Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration; Volker Turk, UN high commissioner for human rights; Alexander De Croo, administrator of the UN Development Programme; Catherine Russell, executive director of the UN Children's Fund; Sima Bahous, UN under-secretary-general and executive director of UN Women; and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, among others.

According to media reports, Israel plans to ban dozens of international aid organizations from operating in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank starting Jan. 1, 2026, citing their failure to comply with Israel's registration requirements.