Aid workers barred from Gaza unless staff register with Israel

Israel announced it will bar entry to foreign medical and humanitarian staff from certain NGOs unless those organizations register employee details and meet new rules. Some groups are weighing whether to submit names after several reported their international staff were refused entry this week.

Israel said it will bar entry to foreign medical and humanitarian staff from some international NGOs unless those organizations register employee details with Israeli authorities and meet additional rules. The move follows an order to halt operations for 37 international NGOs and comes amid concerns about continued delivery of services in Gaza. Several groups have reported that foreign staff were refused entry this week. Some organizations are now considering whether to register to restore access. Key points: - Israel announced foreign medical and humanitarian staff from certain NGOs will be barred from entering Gaza unless their organizations provide staff details and comply with new requirements. - Three international NGOs — Medecins Sans Frontieres, Medecins du Monde Suisse and the Danish Refugee Council — said their international staff were refused entry this week. - The diaspora ministry said affected NGOs have 60 days to conclude operations and that foreign personnel entry is not approved; Israel also reported about 23 groups agreed to the new registration rules. Summary: The announcement has led some aid groups to weigh registering staff so they can continue operations amid worries about gaps in medical and humanitarian services. Israeli authorities set a 60-day period for affected organizations to wind down operations and said foreign personnel entry is not approved. The overall implications for ongoing services and whether more groups will register remain unclear.