More than 100 international aid organizations, including Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, have accused Israel of weaponizing humanitarian assistance in Gaza, warning that new restrictions threaten to force them out entirely as famine tightens its grip on the territory.
In a joint statement released Aug. 14, the groups said that despite Israeli claims of no limits on aid, “most major international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since March 2.” Instead, dozens of requests to bring in food, medicine and other essentials have been denied on the grounds that organizations were “not authorized to deliver aid.” In July alone, Israeli authorities issued over 60 such rejections, leaving millions of dollars’ worth of relief stranded in warehouses in Jordan and Egypt.
“Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza — including 744 tons of rice, enough for 6 million meals — blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away,” said Sean Carroll, president of the American Near East Refugee Aid group.
The obstruction stems from new registration rules for international NGOs introduced in March. Under the policy, Israel can deny registration based on broad, politicized criteria such as alleged “delegitimization” of the state, and requires organizations to submit sensitive data including donor details and complete lists of Palestinian staff for “security vetting.” Aid agencies say handing over such information would violate data protection laws, endanger staff — especially Palestinians, who account for 98% of aid worker fatalities in the world since 2023 — and compromise their independence.
Some NGOs have been given just seven days to turn over Palestinian staff lists. Without compliance, many could be forced to withdraw all international staff from Gaza and the West Bank within 60 days. The Dutch Data Protection Authority has warned the requirements risk violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.
“At this point, everyone knows what the correct, humane answer is: open all the borders, at all hours to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby. Save lives, save humanity and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation.”
Since the rules came into force, major relief organizations have reported total blockages. CARE says it has been unable to deliver $1.5 million worth of pre-positioned food parcels, medical supplies and hygiene kits. Oxfam reports $2.5 million in water, sanitation, hygiene and food items denied entry.
“This registration process signals to international NGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out,” said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead.
The NGOs link the restrictions to Israel’s controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution scheme — a militarized aid mechanism they describe as a deadly tool of control. Since its launch, at least 859 Palestinians have been killed around GHF sites, according to U.N. figures, often by Israeli forces. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has called the scheme “orchestrated killing,” citing sniper fire and stampedes at aid points.
“The militarized food distribution scheme has weaponized starvation and curated suffering,” said Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza.
The statement warns that both the GHF system and the NGO registration process are designed to sideline trusted humanitarian actors, exclude Palestinian organizations and replace impartial aid with mechanisms serving political and military goals.
The signatories — which include Save the Children, CARE, Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Humanity First — are urging states and donors to press Israel to end the “weaponization of aid,” scrap the registration requirements and open all land crossings unconditionally to the thousands of trucks loaded with food and medical supplies nearby.
“At this point, everyone knows what the correct, humane answer is … open all the borders, at all hours to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby,” Carroll said. “Save lives, save humanity and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation.”
