Israel’s new Gaza aid rules block foreign NGOs from delivering help​

Gaza Aid Distributions Hit a Deadlock

In Gaza City, Palestinians are racing to obtain cooked meals from an aid distribution centre, a scene that captures the wider scramble for relief supplies.

New Israeli Rules Hamper Aid Groups

• Over 100 foreign‑backed aid organisations, including Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), signed a joint letter that declared Israel has denied dozens of requests to bring lifesaving goods into Gaza.
• At least 60 aid applications were rejected in July alone, with UK‑based Oxfam reporting that $2.5 million worth of food was barred from entering the territory.
• UK charter CARE said its supplies had not been authorised to enter Gaza since March.

Millions of Supplies await in Ashdod

In a stark illustration, Anera’s CEO Sean Carroll highlighted that over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies, including 744 tons of rice sufficient for six million meals, are sitting just kilometres away in the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Israel’s New Law Tightens NGO Registration

• March saw the Israeli government approve new rules for foreign NGOs working with Palestinians, updating the registration framework and outlining conditions for denial or revocation.
• Authorities can refuse registration if an NGO is perceived to deny Israel’s democratic character or promote delegitimisation campaigns against the country.
• Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli warned that many aid organisations may serve as covers for “hostile and sometimes violent activity,” adding that organisations unconnected to such activities and the boycott movement would be allowed to operate.

Aid Groups Frown on the New Regulations

The joint letter warned that the new rule set would leave Gazans without the life‑saving assistance they urgently need.

Jolien Veldwijk, CARE’s director for the Palestinian territories, stated, “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.”

International NGOs Fear Full Bans

• Israel has long accused Hamas of diverting aid that enters the territory under the traditional UN‑led distribution system.
• Since May, aid is routed through the US‑backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organisation boycotted by the United Nations and other aid groups for serving Israeli military objectives.
• The GHF’s operations have been marred by chaos, with thousands of Gazans scrambles daily to approach its hubs where some have been shot, including by Israeli soldiers.
• In late July, the United Nations reported that at least 1,373 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza since May 27 while awaiting or searching for aid.
• International NGOs now fear they could be barred from operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories if they do not submit sensitive information about their Palestinian staff to the Israeli government.
• The deadline for information submission is September. At that point, many could be forced to halt operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and remove all international staff within 60 days.

These developments underscore that the newly implemented regulations are creating an environment in which the provision of essential aid to Gazans is being profoundly constrained, raising serious concerns about imminent humanitarian crises.