:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/grupoclarin/ZWYO66MF5NDYBOVH6R2RYU44AQ.jpg "They denounce suspension of visa renewal for humanitarian workers in Gaza and the West Bank")
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s decision to suspend the visa renewal process for international aid workers in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank hampers humanitarian efforts at a time when they are needed most, a coalition of groups says. humanitarian and non-governmental.
Israel’s Welfare Ministry has halted the visa renewal process since early February, saying it does not have the means to investigate aid workers’ possible affiliations with militant groups.
The visas of at least 99 aid workers have expired or will expire in the next six months, according to Faris Arouri, director of the coalition. Those facing imminent expulsion orders have left the area, while others remain in Israel without proper documentation, he said Wednesday.
The visa suspension comes after Israel this week intensified its criticism of the disputed UN agency for Palestinian refugees, claiming that 450 of its employees were members of militant groups in the Gaza Strip. Israel provided no evidence to support its accusation.
Major international funders have withheld hundreds of millions of dollars destined for the agency, known as UNRWA, since Israel accused 12 of its employees of participating in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed. and another 250 were taken hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
The coalition, called the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), says its members have played a critical role and are desperately needed after more than five months of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The population is starving in the north of the Gaza Strip, while more than a million people have fled to the south of the territory.