More than 100 organisations call for an end to Israel’s waponisation of aid

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.

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 ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away,” aid 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.

CARE International UK’s head of policy and advocacy, Dorothy Sang, says:

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 seven-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 percent 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.

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.

“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 organizations with mechanisms that serve political and military objectives. They come as the government of Israel to escalate its military offensive and deepen 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.

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. Right to Play
90. Sabeel-Kairos UK
91. Saferworld
92. Save the Children International
93. Secours Islamique France (SIF)
94. Solidar Suisse
95. Solidarités International
96. SWISSAID
97. Terre des Hommes Italy
98. Terre des Hommes Lausanne
99. The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET)
100. The United Church of Canada
101. United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
102. Vento di Terra
103. War Child Alliance
104. Weltfriedensdienst e.V.

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