Palestinian women chat outisde a makeshift shelter in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
The groups will now be required to cease their operations by March 1, which the United Nations has warned will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence, while Israel has faced international criticism in the run-up to the deadline.
In March, Israel gave a ten-month deadline to NGOs 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.
'Weaponisation of bureaucracy'
Numerous prominent humanitarian organisations have been hit by the ban, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to the list provided by the ministry.
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 weaponisation of bureaucracy institutionalises barriers to aid and forces vital organisations to suspend operations," they said.
On Wednesday, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel's decision as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.
"Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza," he said.
UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini said the move sets a "dangerous precedent".
"Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organisations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world," he said on X.
'Catastrophic'
On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 10 countries, including France and the United Kingdom, urged Israel to "guarantee access" to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains "catastrophic".
Conditions for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip remain dire, with nearly 80 percent of buildings 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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