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Middle East Eye
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel threatens to ban major aid organisations, as starvation in Gaza deepens
Most major international non-profit organisations have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March, despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, a joint press release from more than 100 NGOs said on Thursday. Israeli authorities are said to have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorized to deliver aid", instead of clearing the increasing backlog of goods. The statement said that more than 60 requests were denied under this justification in July alone, and the 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,' said Sean Carroll, president and CEO of Anera. Many of the NGOs that are now told they are not 'authorized' to deliver aid have worked in Gaza for decades, are trusted by communities, and are 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.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Foreign NGOs say new Israeli rules keep them from delivering Gaza aid
JERUSALEM: New Israeli legislation regulating foreign aid groups has been increasingly used to deny their requests to bring supplies into Gaza, a joint letter signed by more than 100 groups said Thursday. Ties between foreign-backed aid groups and the Israeli government have long been beset by tensions, with officials often complaining the organisations are biased. The rocky relations have become even more strained since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. "Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorised to deliver aid'," the aid groups said. According to the letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring aid into Gaza were rejected in July alone. UK-based Oxfam said that $2.5 million worth of its supplies, including food, were barred from entering Gaza, while another charity, CARE, said it had not been authorised to bring in aid since March. Another signatory, Anera, said it had millions of dollars' worth of supplies waiting just outside Gaza, in the Israeli port city of Ashdod. '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 kilometres away," CEO Sean Carroll said in the joint letter. In March, the Israeli government approved a new set of rules for foreign non-governmental organisations working with Palestinians. The law updates the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked. Registration can be refused if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country. "Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," said Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, whose ministry has been put in charge of NGO registrations. "Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," he added.
The Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Most NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of aid to Gaza since March
NEW ISRAELI LEGISLATION regulating foreign aid groups has been increasingly used to deny their requests to bring supplies into Gaza, according to a joint letter signed by more than 100 groups. Ties between foreign-backed aid groups and the Israeli government have long been beset by tensions, with officials often complaining the organisations are biased. The rocky relations have only gotten more strained in the wake of Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023. 'Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorised to deliver aid',' the joint statement reads. According to the letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring aid into Gaza were rejected in July alone. In March, Israel's government approved a new set of rules for foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with Palestinians. The law updates the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked. Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or 'promotes delegitimisation campaigns' against the country. 'Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity,' Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told AFP. 'Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate,' added Chikli, whose ministry directed an effort to produce the new guideline. Advertisement An Indonesian Air Force personnel arranges packages of humanitarian aid which will be airdropped into Gaza - a method that many groups say is unsafe and ineffective Alamy Alamy Aid groups say, however, that the new rules are leaving Gazans without help. '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,' said Jolien Veldwijk, director of the charity CARE in the Palestinian territories. Veldwijk said that CARE has not been able to deliver any aid to Gaza since Israel imposed a full blockade on the Palestinian territory in March, despite partially easing it in May. '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,' said Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid entering the Strip, and since May, the government has relied on the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to manage food distribution centres. According to Gaza's civil defence agency, its operations have been frequently marred by chaos as thousands of Gazans have scrambled each day to approach its hubs, where some have been shot, including by Israeli soldiers. Relocation rejected It comes as South Sudan denied reports of plans to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the East African country. South Sudan did however confirm that Israel's deputy foreign minister had visited for talks. Netanyahu has said that he would permit Gazans to emigrate voluntarily and that his government was talking to a number of potential host countries. South Sudan, which is said to be one of the host countries, announced that Sharren Haskel had visited in what it called 'the highest-level engagement from an Israeli official to South Sudan thus far'. According to a statement, Foreign Minister Semaya Kumba held 'a fruitful bilateral dialogue' with Haskel that touched on 'the evolving circumstances within the State of Israel', without elaborating. The potential arrival of Gazans in South Sudan has sparked intense controversy both on social media and on the streets of the capital. Impoverished South Sudan – the world's youngest country – has been plagued by insecurity and instability since its independence in 2011.
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Humanitarian groups call on Israel to end 'weaponization of aid' in Gaza
JERUSALEM — More than 100 organizations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the "weaponisation of aid" into Gaza, as "starvation deepens". Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are "not authorized" to deliver aid, unless they comply with the stricter Israeli regulations. Groups risk being banned if they "delegitimize" the state of Israel or do not provide detailed information about Palestinian staff, the letter says. Israel denies there are restrictions on aid and says the rules, introduced in March, ensure relief work is carried out in line with Israel's "national interests". According to the joint letter, most major international non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March. They say Israeli authorities "have rejected requests from dozens of non-governmental organisations to bring in lifesaving goods", citing the new rules. More than 60 requests were denied in July alone. Aid groups' inability to deliver aid has "left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses", the statement said. Sean Carroll, CEO of American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), said: "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". The new guidelines introduced in March update the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked. Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country. "Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told the Agence France-Presse news agency. "Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," added Chikli. Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead, said Israel had rejected more than $2.5m (£1.8m) of goods from entering Gaza. She added: "This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out." The warning comes as Israel steps up its bombardment of Gaza City, in preparation for a plan to take control of the city. Israel says it will provide humanitarian aid to civilian populations "outside the combat zones", but has not specified whether that aid would be delivered by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Israel says the system is necessary to stop Hamas stealing aid, an accusation Hamas denies. The UN this month reported that 859 Palestinians had been killed near GHF sites since May, a figure the GHF denies. In the joint statement, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, said that the "militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation". The secretary-general of MSF, Chris Lockyear, told the BBC that GHF was a "death trap", and the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "hanging on by a thread". Hamas's 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 seized and taken into Gaza as hostages. Israel's offensive has since killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition. — BBC
Scoop
a day ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Gaza: Israel Threatens To Ban Major Aid Organizations As Starvation Deepens
Over 100 organisations call for an end to Israel's weaponization 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 organizations are "not authorized 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 - including744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometres away," said Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera. Many of the NGOs now told they are not "authorized" 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 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 politicized criteria, such as alleged "delegitimization" of the state of Israel. INGOs warned the process was designed to control independent organizations, 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 organizations 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 militarized 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 militarized food distribution scheme has weaponized 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 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 weaponization 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.
