Humanitarian organisations operating in the Palestinian territories have raised concerns that newly proposed Israeli regulations could make their already difficult work nearly impossible.
Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, aid groups have faced growing restrictions, with Israeli authorities becoming increasingly intolerant of their operations, a senior NGO official told AFP.
That situation worsened last month when COGAT, the Israeli agency overseeing Palestinian affairs, introduced a plan to reorganise aid distribution. According to several NGOs, the proposed changes would significantly tighten Israeli control over the humanitarian supply chain.
The official, speaking anonymously due to fears of operational repercussions, described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as overwhelming. “We basically have a fire extinguisher trying to put out a nuclear bomb,” she said.
NGOs say COGAT’s plan, presented in late February, aims to establish military-linked logistics centres and enforce stricter oversight on aid distribution. Aid groups fear that these measures would impose unworkable bureaucratic hurdles, with one medical NGO member questioning whether they would be required to declare each individual recipient of medicines.
Israel argues that the measures are necessary to prevent looting and the diversion of aid to militant groups. However, aid workers insist that theft is minimal and that increasing aid volume is the best way to prevent it.
Tensions over humanitarian access have escalated, with Israel halting all aid deliveries to Gaza earlier this month due to a deadlock with Hamas over ceasefire negotiations.
A European NGO representative dismissed Israeli concerns about aid falling into militant hands, stating, “The thinking (of COGAT) was that Hamas would rebuild itself thanks to humanitarian aid.” Israel “just wants more control over this territory”, he added.
COGAT has not specified when the new rules will take effect.
In addition to the aid distribution plan, a separate Israeli government directive came into force in March, introducing a more restrictive framework for NGO registration. The new rules require aid groups to disclose detailed staff information and give Israeli authorities the power to reject employees based on alleged links to groups that “delegitimise” Israel.
Humanitarian workers already face severe risks in the Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, where at least 387 aid workers have been killed by Israeli strikes since the war began, according to UN figures.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, warned that humanitarian organisations are questioning how much they can comply with Israeli restrictions while remaining true to their principles.
Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO network PNGO, accused Israel of using the regulations to stifle criticism and avoid accountability for its actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
An international NGO leader echoed that sentiment, arguing that a “red line has been crossed.” However, a medical sector aid worker feared that opposing the measures outright would provoke further Israeli backlash.
