Canada, other nations call on Israel to ensure aid groups can work in Gaza – National

The Associated Press reports a Canadian non-profit, Oxfam Quebec, is on a list of 37 organizations set to be barred from Gaza by Israel as of Jan. 1 for failing to comply with new vetting rules for international organizations working in the enclave.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees humanitarian aid in Gaza, says the organizations on the list account for less than one per cent of the total aid going into the Gaza Strip.

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In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom call on Israel to ensure that international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza in a “sustained and predictable way.”

The leaders say deregistration could force the closure of aid operations in Gaza and the West Bank within 60 days, causing a “severe” impact on access to essential services, including health care.

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In their statement, the leaders also call on Israel to ensure the United Nations and its partners can continue their vital work, to lift unreasonable restrictions on imports and to open crossings and boost the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

— With files from The Associated Press