The UK-founded charity will not adhere to Israel’s demand, stating that more than 500 aid workers have died in the war-torn Strip.
Oxfam says it will not disclose the personal details of its Palestinian staff to Israel, citing its army’s deadly attacks in Gaza that have killed hundreds of aid workers.
As part of a crackdown on NGOs providing vital aid to Palestinians, Israel last year demanded that some of the world’s best-known charities working in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem hand over detailed information about their Palestinian and international staff, operations and funding.
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On January 1, Israel withdrew the licenses of 37 aid groups, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, the International Rescue Committee and Oxfam, saying they did not meet new “safety and transparency standards.”
But Oxfam has said it will not share data on its Palestinian employees.
“We will not transfer sensitive personal data to a party to the conflict, as this would breach humanitarian principles, duty of care and data protection obligations,” an Oxfam spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “More than 500 aid workers have been killed since October 7, 2023.”
“We call on the government of Israel to immediately stop deregistration procedures and lift measures that obstruct humanitarian assistance,” the spokesperson said. “We urge donor governments to use all available influence to ensure the suspension and reversal of these actions.”
According to rules set by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, the information to be released includes copies of passports, resumes and names of family members, including children. He said he would reject organizations he suspected of inciting racism and denying the existence of the State of Israel or the Holocaust. It would also ban those it considers support “an armed struggle by an enemy state or a terrorist organization against the State of Israel.”
Israel says 23 organizations have accepted the new registration rules. It is understood that the others have refused or are weighing their decisions.
The Palestinian Network NGO (PNGO) condemned the organizations that have adhered to Israel’s demands.
“PNGO underlines the serious risks inherent in this measure, which constitutes a clear violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and established standards of humanitarian work,” it said, adding that complying with Israel’s order represents a “direct threat” to the safety of local personnel.
On Saturday, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said it was willing to share with Israel a “defined list of names of Palestinian and international staff, subject to clear parameters with the safety of staff as a central element,” although it acknowledged that the demands were “unreasonable.”
MSF’s decision was condemned by some doctors and activists, saying it could endanger Palestinians, given that Israel has attacked aid workers throughout the genocide in Gaza.
A former MSF employee, who requested anonymity, told Al Jazeera: “It is extremely worrying… that MSF makes a decision like this.
“MSF faces deeply difficult decisions: give in to the demands of a genocidal regime, or refuse and face a complete expulsion and an abrupt end to all health activities in the coming weeks. But what is humanitarianism under genocide? There must be alternatives, alternatives that demand a much bolder and more disruptive approach to humanitarianism in the midst of such a brutal political decline.”
According to the International Rescue Committee, which is among 37 aid groups and is reportedly weighing the demands, Palestinians account for nearly a fifth of all aid workers killed since records began.
