Guinness World Records has decided to halt all dealings with Israel, blocking new submissions, including a request to certify an Israeli kidney-donation record, according to a local media report.
Channel 12 reported on Wednesday that a volunteer group called “Gift of Life,” which promotes kidney donations, approached Guinness to register a milestone involving 2,000 Israeli donors who saved lives through organ donation.
The organisation claimed that the submission “was rejected for political reasons.”
The group paid fees and organised a ceremony in West Jerusalem to photograph all 2,000 donors together to be included in Guinness, but it received an email from Guinness stating: “We are not currently processing record applications from Israel.”
The group has since tried to understand the reason and whether the decision can be reversed, but has received no response, the broadcaster reported.
Rabbi Rachel Haber, who heads the organisation, called Guinness’ refusal to recognise the accomplishment “unacceptable.”
Guinness has not commented on the claim.
The report comes as Israel faces deepening isolation linked to its two-year genocide in Gaza, which triggered academic, cultural, political and sporting boycotts.
Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and wounded over 171,000 others in a brutal assault that has left the enclave in ruins.
A ceasefire deal came into effect on 10 October, but Israeli forces have repeatedly violated the truce since then.
