A Palestinian woman arrives with a child at the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
New York: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has strongly criticised Israel's decision to suspend the work of a number of humanitarian organisations, calling the move shameful and part of a pattern of unlawful restrictions on aid.
In a statement issued in New York on Wednesday, Turk said the decision was the latest in a series of measures limiting humanitarian access, including Israel's ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and attacks on Palestinian non-governmental organisations.
He said these actions were taking place amid broader difficulties faced by the United Nations and other aid agencies in reaching people in need.
Turk urged all countries, particularly those with influence, to take urgent steps and insist that Israel immediately allow humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza without obstruction. He warned that what he described as arbitrary suspensions were worsening conditions for Gaza's population, who he said were already living in intolerable circumstances.
He also reminded Israel of its obligations under international law to ensure the provision of essential supplies for daily life in Gaza, including facilitating access for humanitarian aid.
Separately, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners called on Israel to reconsider its announcement regarding international non-governmental organisations, saying they were an essential part of life-saving humanitarian operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel has announced the suspension of 37 organisations operating in Gaza, including Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), the Norwegian Refugee Council, the International Rescue Committee, and branches of Oxfam and Caritas.
