"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."
After a fragile ceasefire three weeks ago, a promised surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza has not materialized. Israel implemented new reregistration rules requiring personal details of staff and families and granting authority to ban groups over public statements. Save the Children was told it did not meet the new criteria and must withdraw its international staff. Gaza health authorities report at least 20,000 children killed, roughly 2% of Gaza's children, mostly in airstrikes. Other organizations such as the Norwegian Refugee Council remain in limbo after applying to reregister. Aid groups describe the process as politically driven and damaging to impartial humanitarian operations.
Read at www.npr.org
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