Israel blocks longtime Gaza aid groups from working in the region

A promised surge of Gaza aid hasn't arrived since a fragile ceasefire began three weeks ago. Israel is now barring longtime relief groups, disrupting Save the Children's decades of work there.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

In Gaza, a surge in aid has failed to materialize. That's despite promises by Israel in a ceasefire clinched three weeks ago. And Israel is now banning some of the world's biggest aid groups that have worked in Gaza for decades. NPR's Jane Arraf has more.

JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Save the Children has operated in Gaza for more than 70 years. This week, it said it had been informed by Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism that it did not meet the new criteria for reregistration and would need to pull out its international staff. Israel's new rules require personal details of staff and their families - rejected by most organizations as a security risk. The second issue - and the reason why the Ministry for Combating Antisemitism is involved - is that the new rules allow Israel to ban aid groups even for statements they make.

At least 20,000 children have been killed in this war, most of them in Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza health authorities. That's 2% of all of Gaza's children. An important part of Save the Children's mandate is advocating for children. It has called for the killing to stop and noted that the International Court of Justice is considering genocide charges against Israel. Israel says it does not target children.

Other big players are in limbo. The Norwegian Refugee Council applied months ago to reregister but hasn't heard anything. This is communications manager Ivan Karakashian.

IVAN KARAKASHIAN: We consider that the current process relies on political criteria unrelated to humanitarian conduct, and that should never really be applied to impartial aid organizations.

ARRAF: Gaza is essentially destroyed. International organizations see these new rules not just as denying desperately needed help, but as a warning by Israel to aid groups not to be too outspoken.

Jane Arraf, NPR News, Amman.

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