Foreign ministers urge Israel to allow NGO work

The foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. released a joint statement on Wednesday pushing back on Israel's announcement that it will suspend the operations of 37 humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank on Jan. 1.

The ministers expressed "serious concerns about the renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza which remains catastrophic," warning that forecast winter weather will likely exacerbate the situation there.

The statement urged Israel to "ensure that international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way," warning that their deregistration as of Jan. 1 "could result in the forced closure" of NGO operations "within 60 days in Gaza and the West Bank. This would have a severe impact on access to essential services including healthcare."

The ministers called on Israel to "ensure the U.N. and its partners can continue their vital work. This 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."

The statement said Israel should "lift unreasonable restrictions on imports considered to have a dual use," such as medical and shelter equipment, plus "open crossings and boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza."

Israel announced the suspensions on Tuesday, saying some aid organizations failed to comply with new registration rules. COGAT, the Israeli agency tasked with coordinating aid into Gaza and other areas, said on Wednesday that the new registration system is intended "to ensure aid does not fall into the wrong hands, not to control NGO workers or organizations."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the joint statement was "false but unsurprising."

"It reflects a recurring pattern of detached criticism and one-sided demands on Israel, while deliberately ignoring the essential requirement of disarming Hamas -- a prerequisite for the security of Israel and the region," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Palestinian NGO Network released a statement criticizing the Israeli move as "dangerous" and posing "a direct threat to life in the Gaza Strip."

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor, Somayeh Malekian, Nasser Atta, Diaa Ostaz and Anna Burd

Doctors Without Borders warned that if it is unable to work in Gaza and the West Bank, there will be "devastating consequences for Palestinians." The organization issued the dire warning after Israel said it will suspend the operations of 37 humanitarian organizations on Jan. 1.

Doctors Without Borders said it has not “received any official decision,” from the Israeli government about whether they can continue working in Gaza and the West Bank in light of new regulations, the organization said in a statement Tuesday.

“But if MSF is prevented from providing services this will have devastating consequences for Palestinians. In Gaza, MSF supports around 20 percent of all hospital beds and supports the delivery of one in three babies,” the organization said in a statement to press.

"We are urgently seeking solutions so that we can continue providing services to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank," the organization said Tuesday.

While hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, President Donald Trump said Hamas must disarm for the next phase of the Gaza peace plan to begin.

If they don't, Trump said it would be "horrible for them" and there would be "hell to pay." The president added that other countries that wanted the ceasefire deal to be made "will go and wipe them out" should Hamas not disarm.

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President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Mar-a-Lago on Monday for a bilateral meeting.