UN chief deeply concerned over Israel's suspension of NGOs

WASHINGTON, Jan 03 (Agencies): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned by Israel's announcement of a suspension of the operations of several international non-governmental organizations in occupied Palestinian territory and called for the measure to be reversed, according to a statement on Friday.
"This announcement comes on top of earlier restrictions that have already delayed critical food, medical, hygiene and shelter supplies from entering Gaza. This recent action will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said gunfire from an Israeli position hit close to its peacekeepers twice on Friday, reporting no casualties but decrying a "concerning trend".
UNIFIL has repeatedly reported Israeli fire near or towards its personnel in recent months, and last week said an Israeli attack near one of its positions lightly wounded a peacekeeper.
Earlier, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Egypt expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
A statement published by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X cited severe weather conditions and restrictions on humanitarian access as key factors exacerbating civilian suffering.
It said flooded camps, collapsed structures, damaged tents and exposure to cold temperatures had significantly increased risks to civilian lives, particularly among children, women, the elderly and those with medical vulnerabilities.
The ministers warned that the combination of malnutrition, poor shelter and lack of clean water has heightened the risk of disease outbreaks, placing additional strain on Gaza’s fragile health system.
The statement commended the efforts of UN agencies, particularly UNRWA, as well as international humanitarian organizations, for continuing to provide assistance under extremely challenging conditions.
The ministers stressed that humanitarian organizations must be allowed to operate in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in a sustained, predictable and unrestricted manner, describing any obstruction of their work as unacceptable.