The organisations concerned - whose names were not disclosed - were ordered to cease all activities by 1 March

Israel says it will suspend some aid groups in Gaza

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Israel has warned that from January, it would suspend several aid organisations operating in Gaza for failing to provide details about their Palestinian staff.

It comes as Israel has accused two Doctors Without Borders employees of links to militant groups.

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement the move was part of Israel's decision to "strengthen and update" regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.

"Humanitarian organisations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licences suspended," the ministry said.

It added that organisations which "failed to cooperate and refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism" had received formal notice that their licences would be revoked as of 1 January.

Displaced Palestinians gather to receive donated food portions at a charity kitchen in Khan Yunis

The organisations concerned - whose names were not disclosed - were ordered to cease all activities by 1 March.

The order comes a day after US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the next phase of the Gaza peace plan.

The ministry said the groups were given ten months to provide the requested information but "nonetheless failed to comply with the requirements".

The ministry told AFP earlier this month that as of 25 November approximately 100 registration requests had been submitted and "only 14 organisation requests have been rejected".

"The remainder have been approved or are currently under review," it added.

In its statement, the ministry alleged after an investigation that the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had employed two individuals with links to Palestinian militant groups.

"In June 2024, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was identified as an employee of the organisation," it said.

"In September 2024, another MSF employee was identified as a Hamas sniper.

"Despite repeated requests, the organisation did not provide full disclosure regarding the identities and roles of these individuals," the statement added.

When contacted, MSF said it "would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity".

"Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and our patients," the charity added.

The ministry's statement did not say whether MSF's licence had been revoked.

"In terms of registration, MSF continues to engage and discuss with Israeli authorities," the charity said.

"We have not yet received a decision on re-registration."

The ministry said its latest measures would not affect the delivery of aid to Gaza.

"Only a limited number of organisations - less than 15% - were found to be in violation of the regulatory framework," it said.

Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza.

The amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.

While the 10 October ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.

Ten countries warn of 'catastrophic' Gaza situation

The foreign ministers of ten nations on have expressed "serious concerns" about a "renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in Gaza, saying the situation was "catastrophic".

Palestinians gather to receive drink water distributed from water tankers

"As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping," the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said in a joint statement released by the UK's Foreign Office.

"1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding," the statement added.

The ministers said they welcomed the progress that had been made to end the bloodshed in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages.

"However we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza," they said, calling on the government of Israel to take a string of "urgent and essential" steps.

Palestinians, including children, who are struggling to access food gather to receive hot meals distributed by a charity organisation

These included ensuring that international NGOs could operate in Gaza in a "sustained and predictable" way.

"As 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being deregistered because of the government of Israel's restrictive new requirements," the statement said.

It also called for the UN and its partners be able to continue their work in Gaza and for the lifting of "unreasonable restricts on imports considered to have a dual use".

This included medical and shelter equipment.

The foreign ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

While welcoming the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, they said other corridors for moving goods remained closed or severely restricted for humanitarian aid including Rafah.

"Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely," the statement said.

"The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a ceiling.

"These targets should be lifted so we can be sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale needed," it added.

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