Tel Aviv / PNN /
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, on Tuesday Israel implemented a new measure that forced dozens of humanitarian organizations working in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank to suspend their activities.
The newspaper reported that many organizations which had previously received Israeli approval are now being ordered to halt operations under a strict new regulation, leaving thousands of tons of food and relief supplies outside Gaza.
It explained that the regulation tightens the conditions for organizations to enter Gaza and the West Bank, and requires them to submit detailed information about their staff and their families, whether Palestinian or foreign.
The measure was reinstated in March when the registration of humanitarian organizations was transferred from the Ministry of Welfare to the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs, headed by Amichai Chikli (of the Likud party).
The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs now has broad authority to reject organizations’ applications. It may refuse to approve an organization if it determines that the organization denies Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state or works to delegitimise it, according to the newspaper.
Another ground for refusal is if the organization has supported “the prosecution of Israelis in a foreign country or before an international court” for alleged crimes during the Gaza war. An organization may also be rejected if one of its employees in the past seven years publicly called for a boycott of Israel.
Since the beginning of September, the Ministry has rejected 14 out of 100 applications from organizations, while the remainder are still under review.
Some of the approved organisations were working with the so‑called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organisation established by Israel and the United States in May that ceased operations in October.
The newspaper said that without official registration, humanitarian organizations are not permitted to bring food or any aid into Gaza, and their staff cannot obtain entry visas into Israel, which are required for operations in Israel or the West Bank.
The lack of permits also makes it difficult for these organisations to enter or exit Gaza, as well as to purchase or transport equipment through Israel.
Among the groups waiting months for an official response are some of the largest organisations in the world, including Oxfam, Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The organisations say they doubt their ability to navigate the Israeli registration process, as many have refused to provide lists of their Palestinian and foreign staff. Transferring such data may violate privacy laws in their home countries, they argue.
The newspaper noted that in recent weeks Israel has also made it harder for organisations to bring food and equipment into Gaza through alternative routes. Organisations without authorisation to bring goods into Gaza have turned to UN agencies or other authorised organisations to import items they purchased—but Israel blocked this step as well.
As a result, large amounts of equipment and supplies remain stranded in Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the West Bank—such as beds, tents, plastic covers, water‑desalination equipment, insulation materials, winter clothing, personal‐hygiene supplies and large quantities of food.
Haaretz quoted Amjad Al‑Shawa, Director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, as saying that this measure is part of a broader Israeli policy representing collective punishment, making Gaza uninhabitable.
Moreover, since the cease‑fire agreement came into effect on 10 October, Israel has violated it by launching attacks and preventing agreed‑upon humanitarian aid deliveries. According to government statistics, the average number of trucks entering the Strip since the agreement is no more than 89 per day, out of 600 trucks that are required each day to meet the minimum needs of Palestinians.
