Despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March. 

Requests to deliver aid rejected

Instead of clearing the growing backlog of goods, Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are “not authorised to deliver aid.”  
 
In July alone, over 60 requests were denied under this justification. This obstruction has left millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter items stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt, while Palestinians are being starved. 

“Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies blocked from entering Gaza – including 744 pallets of rice, enough for 6 million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away,” said Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera. 

Many of the NGOs now told they are not “authorised” to deliver aid have worked in Gaza for decades, are trusted by communities and experienced in delivering aid safely. Their exclusion has left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses, and aid workers themselves going to work hungry. 

“The answer, to save lives, save humanity and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation, is to open all the borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby.”

Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera

The obstruction is tied to new INGO registration rules introduced in March. Under these new rules, registration can be denied on the basis of vague and politicised criteria, such as alleged “delegitimisation” of the state of Israel. INGOs warned the process was designed to control independent organisations, silence advocacy, and censor humanitarian reporting. This new bureaucratic obstruction is inconsistent with established international law as it entrenches Israel’s control and annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory. 

Unless INGOs submit to the full registration requirements, including the mandatory submission of details of private donors, complete Palestinian staff lists and other sensitive information about personnel for so-called “security” vetting to Israeli authorities, many could be forced to halt operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and remove all international staff within 60 days. Some organisations have even been issued a 7-day ultimatum to provide Palestinian staff lists. 

NGOs have made clear that sharing such data is unlawful (including under relevant data protection laws), unsafe, and incompatible with humanitarian principles. In the deadliest context for aid workers worldwide, where 98% of those humanitarians killed were Palestinian, NGOs have no guarantees that handing over such information would not put staff at further risk, or be used to advance the government of Israel’s stated military and political aims. 

Registration system is blocking aid

Today, INGOs’ fears have proven true: the registration system is now being used to further block aid and deny food and medicine in the midst of the worst-case scenario of famine. 

“Since the full siege was imposed on 2 March, CARE has not been able to deliver any of our $1.5 million worth of pre-positioned supplies into Gaza,” said Jolien Veldwijk, Country Director of CARE. “This includes critical shipments of food parcels, medical supplies, hygiene kits, dignity kits, and maternal and infant care items. Our mandate is to save lives, but due to the registration restrictions civilians are being left without the food, medicine, and protection they urgently need.” 

“Oxfam has over $2.5 million worth of goods that have been rejected from entering Gaza by Israel, especially WASH and hygiene items as well as food,” said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead. “This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out.” 

These restrictions are part of a broader strategy that includes the so-called “GHF” scheme – a militarised distribution mechanism promoted as a humanitarian solution. In reality, it is a deadly tool of control, with at least 859 Palestinians killed around “GHF” sites since it began operating. 

Starvation has been weaponised

“The militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation and curated suffering. Distributions at GHF sites have resulted in extreme levels of violence and killings, primarily of young Palestinian men, but also of women and children, who have gone to the sites in the hope of receiving food,” according to Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza. 

Both the “GHF” scheme and the INGO registration process aim to block impartial aid, exclude Palestinian actors, and replace trusted humanitarian organisations with mechanisms that serve political and military objectives. They come as the government of Israel escalates its military offensive and deepens its occupation in Gaza, making clear these measures are part of a broader strategy to entrench control and erase Palestinian presence. 

“At this point, everyone knows what the correct, humane answer is, and it’s not a floating pier, airdrops or the “GHF.” The answer, to save lives, save humanity and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation, is to open all the borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby,” said Sean Carroll of Anera. 

We call on all states and donors to: 

● Press Israel to end the weaponisation of aid, including through bureaucratic obstruction, such as the INGO registration procedures. 

● Insist that INGOs are not forced to share sensitive personal information, in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), or compromise staff safety or independence as a condition for delivering aid. 

● Demand the immediate and unconditional opening of all land crossings and conditions for the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid. 

Signatories

1. Action Against Hunger (ACF) 

2. A New Policy 

3. ACT Alliance 

4. Action For Humanity 

5. ActionAid Denmark 

6. ActionAid International 

7. All We Can 

8. Alliance Sud 

9. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) 

10. Americares 

11. Anera 

12. Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz 

13. Bystanders No More 

14. Campaign Against Arms Trade 

15. Canadian Foodgrains Bank 

16. CARE 

17. Caritas Internationalis 

18. Caritas Jerusalem 

19. Caritas Middle East and North Africa 

20. Caritas Switzerland 

21. Center for Jewish Nonviolence 

22. Charity & Security Network 

23. Children Not Numbers 

24. Christian Aid 

25. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) 

26. CISS – Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud 

27. Committee to Protect Journalists 

28. Cooperation Canada 

29. COORDINADORA VALENCIANA ONGD 

30. DanChurchAid 

31. Danish Refugee Council (DRC) 

32. Department of Service to the Palestinian Refugees 

33. Diakonia 

34. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe 

35. EDUCO 

36. Embrace the Middle East 

37. Emergency – Life Support for Civilian War Victims Ong Ets 

38. Entreculturas 

39. Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e.V. (Pro Peace) 

40. Frieda – the Feminist Peace Organization 

41. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) 

42. Fund for Global Human Rights 

43. Glia 

44. HEKS/EPER (Swiss Church Aid) 

45. HelpAge International 

46. Humanitarian Coalition 

47. Humanity Auxilium 

48. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International 

49. Humanity First UK 

50. INARA 

51. Insecurity Insight 

52. International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) 

53. INTERSOS 

54. Islamic Relief 

55. Jahalin Solidarity 

56. Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC) 

57. Jüdische Stimme für Demokratie und Gerechtigkeit in Israel/Palästina JVJP Switzerland 

58. KinderUSA 

59. Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation 

60. La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo (The Spanish Development NGO 

Platform) 

61. Médecins du Monde France 

62. Médecins du Monde International Network 

63. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 

64. MedGlobal 

65. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) 

66. medico international 

67. medico international schweiz 

68. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) 

69. Middle East Children’s Alliance 

70. MPower Change Action Fund 

71. Muslim Aid 

72. NORWAC – Norwegian Aid Committee 

73. Norwegian Church Aid 

74. Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) 

75. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) 

76. Oxfam 

77. Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) 

78. PANZMA – Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association 

79. PARCIC 

80. Pax Christi International 

81. Peace Watch Switzerland 

82. People in Need (PIN) 

83. Plan International 

84. Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) 

85. Portuguese Platform of Development NGOs 

86. Premiere Urgence Internationale (PUI) 

87. Project HOPE 

88. Relief International 

89. Sabeel-Kairos UK 

90. Save the Children International 

91. Secours Islamique France (SIF) 

92. Solidar Suisse 

93. Solidarités International 

94. SWISSAID 

95. Terre des Hommes Italy 

96. Terre des Hommes Lausanne 

97. The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) 

98. The United Church of Canada 

99. United Against Inhumanity (UAI) 

100. Vento di Terra 

101. War Child Alliance 

102. Weltfriedensdienst e.V 

Categories: Emergencies Tags: Disaster relief, Food crisis