Foreign Ministers of 10 countries including Finland on Tuesday expressed serious concerns about the renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza which remains catastrophic. The ministers in a joint statement coordinated by United Kingdom urged the Israeli government to take urgent measures including ensuring that international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way, said an official press release. They also urged the Israeli authority to open crossings and boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza. “Finland has joined a statement of Foreign Ministers coordinated by the United Kingdom on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the registration of international NGOs, together with 8 other countries,” the Finnish Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on its social media platform X. Joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. “As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping. 1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding,” the Ministers said in the statement. They also welcomed the important progress that has been made to end the bloodshed in Gaza, secure the release of the hostages and turn the page on two terrible years of conflict.  “However, we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza,” said the statement, calling on the Government of Israel to take a number of urgent and essential steps. The steps included ensuring that international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way. The statement said that as 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being deregistered because of the Government of Israels restrictive new requirements. Deregistration could result in the forced closure of INGO operations within 60 days in Gaza and the West Bank. This would have a severe impact on access to essential services including healthcare. One in 3 healthcare facilities in Gaza will close if INGOs operations are stopped. INGOs are integral to the humanitarian response and – working with the UN and Palestinian organisations – collectively deliver approximately $1 billion in aid across Palestine each year. “Any attempt to stem their ability to operate is unacceptable. Without them, it will be impossible to meet all urgent needs at the scale required,” the statement said. The Foreign Ministers demanded to ensure that the UN and its partners can continue their vital work, which is essential to ensure the impartial, neutral, and independent delivery of aid throughout the whole of Gaza. This includes UNRWA, which provides essential services, such as healthcare and education, to millions of Palestinian refugees. They also demanded to lift unreasonable restrictions on imports considered to have a dual use. This includes urgently needed medical and shelter equipment. The restrictions are holding up essential supplies in every sector and preventing the rehabilitation and repair of critical infrastructure.