UN chief calls on Israel to reverse NGOs ban in Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Friday for Israel to end a ban on humanitarian agencies that provided aid in Gaza, saying he was “deeply concerned” at the development.Guterres “calls for this measure to be reversed, stressing that international non-governmental organizations are indispensable to life-saving humanitarian work and that the suspension risks undermining the fragile progress made during the ceasefire,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.For the latest updates on the Israel-Palestine conflict, visit our dedicated page.“This recent action will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians,” he added.Israel on Thursday suspended 37 foreign humanitarian organizations from accessing the Gaza Strip after they had refused to share lists of their Palestinian employees with government officials.The ban includes Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has 1,200 staff members in the Palestinian territories -- the majority of whom are