NGOs Sound Alarm Over New Israeli Registration Rules Impacting Gaza Aid

Tue Dec 23 2025 10:07:16 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) warn that new Israeli registration requirements could disrupt vital aid operations in Gaza, endangering healthcare and other crucial services.

New registration rules imposed by Israel may lead to the shutdown of many international NGOs (INGOs) operating in Gaza and the West Bank. Organizations such as Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have expressed concerns, stating that their humanitarian efforts could collapse if they are not granted approval by year-end. The Israeli government maintains that the new system is necessary for accountability.

The UN and other aid agencies fear new Israeli registration rules for dozens of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) risk the collapse of the humanitarian response in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

INGOs not registered by 31 December face closure of their operations in Israel within 60 days, which the agencies say could severely disrupt healthcare and other life-saving services in Gaza.

Save the Children said its application had not been approved and it was pursuing all available avenues to have this decision reconsidered.

Israel's ministry of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism said the departure of rogue organisations would not affect the delivery of aid.

Fourteen out of the approximately 100 applications have so far been rejected, while 21 have been approved and others are under review. The registration process includes grounds for rejection such as denying Israel as a state or supporting anti-Israel campaigns.

The Humanitarian Country Team has warned this system fundamentally jeopardizes operations of INGOs, which currently run the majority of Gaza's essential health services.

If they were forced to stop operations, it said, one in three health facilities in Gaza would close, raising concerns about how this would further threaten Palestinian lives.

In light of this, MSF stated that losing access to respond would be a disaster for Palestinians, calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure INGOs can continue their impartial operations.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official mentioned that there's been more than sufficient time for organizations to register, dismissing claims of unfair rejections.