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Arab World

Israel Confirms Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Confirms Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

Israel on Thursday said 37 humanitarian agencies supplying aid in Gaza had not met a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards", and would be banned from the territory, despite an international outcry. 

The international NGOs, which had been ordered to disclose detailed information on their Palestinian staff, will now be required to cease operations by March 1. 

The United Nations has warned that this will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. 

"Organizations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement. 

Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence. 

Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories. 

Prominent humanitarian organizations hit by the ban include Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to a ministry list. 

In MSF's case, Israel accused it of having two employees who were members of Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas. 

MSF said this week the request to share a list of its staff "may be in violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law" and said it "would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity". 

- 'Critical requirement' - 

NRC spokesperson Shaina Low told AFP its local staff are "exhausted" and international staff "bring them an extra layer of help and security. Their presence is a protection." 

Submitting the names of local staff is "not negotiable", she said. "We offered alternatives, they refused," she said, of the Israeli regulators. 

The ministry said Thursday: "The primary failure identified was the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees, a critical requirement designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures." 

In March, Israel gave NGOs 10 months to comply with the new rules, which demand the "full disclosure of personnel, funding sources, and operational structures". 

The deadline expired on Wednesday. 

The 37 NGOs "were formally notified that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1, 2026, and that they must complete the cessation of their activities by March 1, 2026," the ministry said Thursday. 

A ministry spokesperson told AFP that following the revocation of their licenses, aid groups could no longer bring assistance into Gaza from Thursday. 

However, they could have their licenses reinstated if they submitted the required documents before March 1. 

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli said "the message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome -- the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not". 

- 'Weaponization of bureaucracy' - 

On Thursday, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs denounced the decision to ban their international peers, saying "the new registration framework violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality". 

"This weaponization of bureaucracy institutionalizes barriers to aid and forces vital organizations to suspend operations," they said. 

UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini had said the move sets a "dangerous precedent". 

"Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organizations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world," he said on X. 

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 10 countries, including France and Britain, urged Israel to "guarantee access" to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains "catastrophic". 

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas's unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. 

Nearly 80 percent of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged by the war, according to UN data. 

About 1.5 million of Gaza's more than two million residents have lost their homes, said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza. 

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Arab World

Lebanon: Aoun Urges Opponents of ‘Framework Agreement’ to Present an Alternative

An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 
An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 
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Lebanon: Aoun Urges Opponents of ‘Framework Agreement’ to Present an Alternative

An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 
An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 

Lebanon has stepped up contacts with US officials to press Israel to proceed with the withdrawals stipulated under the framework agreement signed by both sides in Washington late last week, amid what Lebanese officials describe as troubling indications that Israel may delay the process and take unilateral measures, including installing crossing gates in areas it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon.

Well-informed Lebanese sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Brad Cooper, during his recent visit to Beirut, agreed with Lebanese officials on the mechanisms that will govern the pilot areas from which Israel is expected to withdraw.

The sources said one of Cooper’s senior aides has remained in Lebanon to oversee implementation, adding that Beirut has received no notification of any delay or change to the understandings reached with Washington. They stressed that Lebanon remains committed to avoiding direct contact with Israel, with all communication continuing exclusively through US mediation.

Speaking on Wednesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the framework agreed in Washington, saying it includes provisions covering an Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced residents, the release of detainees, and the repatriation of Lebanese remains held by Israel. He emphasized that it is a framework, not a final agreement.

Aoun said Lebanon, as a sovereign state, had independently decided to negotiate on its own behalf without compromising its legal, political, or military principles, rejecting claims to the contrary. He also praised Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for insisting on two “red lines”: preventing internal strife and protecting the army, saying all Lebanese agree on both principles.

The president called on critics of the negotiations and the framework to offer a viable alternative or present their views through state institutions. While describing political disagreement as legitimate, he warned against fueling divisions or portraying the framework to supporters as “an act of surrender or humiliation.”

Aoun also dismissed reports that Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal or other security chiefs — apart from the director general of General Security — were to be removed, saying such rumors are intended to undermine the armed forces and security institutions.

Addressing the concept of sovereignty, Aoun argued that genuine sovereignty lies in making independent national decisions. Lebanon’s decision to negotiate for itself, rather than allowing another country to negotiate on its behalf, had unsettled many, he underlined.

He reiterated that negotiations are preferable to war, arguing that past conflicts had failed to achieve lasting results. If opponents reject the framework, they should explain what alternative they propose, he said, noting that repeated requests for one have gone unanswered.

Responding to accusations that the framework legitimizes Israel’s occupation, Aoun stressed that every provision calls for extending Lebanese state authority across the country’s entire territory and for a complete Israeli withdrawal. He added that the framework also addresses the return of displaced people, detainees, Lebanese remains, and international support. While acknowledging that the document is not ideal, the president described it as the best achievable outcome within Lebanon’s national principles.

Aoun vowed to press ahead with the process “for the sake of the country,” arguing that Lebanon has a rare opportunity it should not squander. He noted that if critics prefer war, they should explain what military confrontation has achieved, noting that Lebanon regained the Lebanese section of Ghajar in 2000 only to lose it again in 2006, lost five border positions in 2023, and now has more than 66 towns under Israeli occupation.

 

 

Arab World

Sudanese Army Shifts Battle Back to Darfur

Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 
Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 
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Sudanese Army Shifts Battle Back to Darfur

Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 
Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 

Fighting has intensified once again between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across several fronts in the western Darfur region, as military tensions also mount around the city of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, where both sides are reinforcing their positions.

Over the past two days, the Sudanese army and allied Joint Forces, a coalition of armed groups, have launched operations in West and North Darfur targeting strategic border areas as part of an effort to expand their battlefield presence and open new fronts.

Local sources said army units are advancing toward El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, under the cover of warplanes that have carried out airstrikes on military positions inside the city. The advance marks one of the army’s most significant military gains in Darfur in months as fighting continues to spread across Sudan.

The renewed clashes come as attention remains focused on El Obeid, where military escalation has intensified amid continued drone attacks and troop buildups despite international calls for a ceasefire and restraint.

Former Sudanese army Chief of Staff Hashim Abdel Muttalib told Asharq Al-Awsat that the army and its allies had carried out what he described as a successful maneuver that returned the fighting to Darfur, reflecting a new phase in military planning. He said the army had regained the initiative and predicted further developments in the region, adding that recent advances in western and northern Darfur were part of plans previously announced by Assistant Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Yasser Al-Atta.

On Monday, the Joint Forces announced they had seized the border town of Kulbus in West Darfur near Chad and said they remained in control of Tina, Karnoi, and Ambro in North Darfur.

The Sudanese army also said it had carried out operations across Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile, inflicting heavy losses on the RSF. The paramilitary group did not immediately comment.

The El Fasher Resistance Committees Coordination, a local civic group, said in a Facebook statement that army forces were approaching El Geneina under the cover of airstrikes targeting military sites inside the city.

The RSF captured Kulbus and nearby towns in October 2025. The town lies about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from El Geneina.

Military analyst Abdullah Mohammed told Asharq Al-Awsat that the renewed fighting in Darfur could prolong and widen the conflict, pushing the war into a more violent phase. He said one of the main objectives of military campaigns is to cut an opponent’s supply lines and deny access to strategic positions, suggesting the army’s operations in West Darfur are aimed at regaining control of the border with Chad.

By contrast, Mohammed Al-Nayer, spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army Movement, said it was too early to conclude that the war had shifted decisively back to Darfur. He described the operation in Kulbus as a temporary incursion by army-allied Joint Forces that lasted only a few hours before withdrawing after large RSF reinforcements arrived.

Al-Nayer said the objective was to tie down RSF forces in attritional battles inside Darfur, limiting their ability to sustain operations in Kordofan and Blue Nile.

 

 

Arab World

WHO: 120 Dead in Latest Sudan Cholera Outbreak

Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)
Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)
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WHO: 120 Dead in Latest Sudan Cholera Outbreak

Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)
Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)

A cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed 120 people, with another 1,102 suspected cases since May in isolated war zones, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

More than three years of war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have decimated the country's healthcare system.

This is Sudan's third wave of cholera in as many years, and began only two months after the last outbreak was declared over in March, reported AFP.

Between July 2024 and March 2026, over 124,400 people were infected and 3,500 killed during the last wave, according to government figures.

Endemic to the northeast African country, cholera used to come "in a cyclic manner every three years", the WHO's Sudan chief Dr Shible Sahbani told reporters.

But now the country faces near-continuous outbreaks "due to the conflict, constraints in access and limited supplies," he said.

Sudan's rainy season is set to surge in the coming weeks, during which cholera cases balloon as millions lack access to clean water and the rains further impede access.

The Sudanese government declared the latest outbreak this week in the flashpoint West Kordofan state, the dividing line between army and paramilitary zones of control.

Constant deadly drone strikes launched by both sides have made commercial and aid access to the Kordofan region increasingly dangerous, and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation.

The WHO said the outbreak appears to be spreading, following reports of close to 300 suspected cases and three deaths in neighboring North Kordofan, where the United Nations has warned the RSF is preparing to mount a deadly ground assault on state capital El-Obeid.

Drone strikes on the city's power stations are already "disrupting access to lifesaving drinking water and electricity", UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Tuesday, warning of the risk of mass atrocities.

Three years into the war, which aid groups estimate may have killed more than 200,000 people, nearly all of the country's hospitals have been forced entirely or partially out of service.

"Forty percent of health facilities are non-functional at all, and the remaining almost 60 percent are only partially functioning, meaning they are providing only a few services, or not enough to patients in the area," Sahbani said.