NGOs cry foul as Israel’s aid restrictions deepen Gaza’s starvation crisis

Gaza is teetering on the edge of catastrophe, with famine spreading and humanitarian aid stifled by Israeli restrictions, according to a new Oxfam press release signed by over 100 organizations.

Since 2 March no major international non-governmental organization (NGO) has successfully delivered a single truck of lifesaving supplies into Gaza, despite millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, and water stranded in warehouses across Jordan, Egypt, and Israel’s Ashdod port. The blockade, coupled with Israel’s new INGO registration rules, is exacerbating an already dire situation, leaving Palestinians starving and aid workers under threat.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened dramatically since October 2023, when Israel intensified its military operations following Hamas’s attack. Over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 1.9 million people – 90% of Gaza’s population – are displaced, according to UN reports. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed on 29 July that Gaza is experiencing a full-blown famine, with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities dying from hunger and preventable diseases. Save the Children reported on August 10 that 100 children have died of starvation since October 2023. Hospitals, crippled by shortages, cannot provide basic care, and aid workers themselves are going hungry.

Israel’s new INGO registration process, introduced in March 2025, is at the heart of the aid blockade. NGOs, many with decades of experience in Gaza, are being denied permission to deliver aid on vague grounds, such as alleged “delegitimization” of Israel. Over 60 requests were rejected in July alone, leaving $7 million in supplies, including 744 tons of rice for six million meals, stuck in Ashdod, as noted by Anera’s President and CEO, Sean Carroll.

Oxfam reports $2.5 million in blocked goods, including water, sanitation, and hygiene items critical for preventing disease outbreaks. CARE’s $1.5 million in food parcels, medical supplies, and maternal care kits are also stranded.

The registration rules require NGOs to submit sensitive data, including private donor details and Palestinian staff lists, for Israeli “security” vetting. NGOs warn this violates international data protection laws, like the EU’s GDPR, and endangers staff in a context where 509 of 517 aid worker deaths between 2023 and 2025 were Palestinian, per the Aid Worker Security Database. The Dutch Data Protection Authority, on 6 August, advised NGOs not to comply, citing GDPR violations. Non-compliant organizations face a 60-day ultimatum to halt operations and remove international staff, with some given just seven days to provide staff lists.

“This signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence,” said Oxfam’s Bushra Khalidi.

Israel’s hardline posture, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, has drawn global condemnation. The government denies restricting aid, claiming no limits exist, but actions tell a different story.

On 5 August, reports emerged of Israel planning a full occupation of Gaza, intensifying its military offensive while deepening control over aid distribution. The so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Framework” (GHF), promoted as a solution, has instead become a “deadly tool of control,” according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Since its inception, 859 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed near GHF sites, with 1,373 total deaths linked to food-seeking efforts, per the UN’s OHCHR.

Critics argue the GHF and registration rules are designed to exclude Palestinian actors, silence advocacy, and replace trusted NGOs with militarized mechanisms serving Israel’s political and military goals. MSF’s 7 August report called GHF sites “orchestrated killing and dehumanization” zones, demanding their closure. UN Special Rapporteurs, in a letter dated 12 August, expressed concern that these measures undermine NGOs’ independence and expose them to reprisals, violating international law.

Israel’s blockade, in place since 2007, has long restricted Gaza’s access to goods and movement, but the current escalation is unprecedented. Airdrops and floating piers, touted as alternatives, have proven inadequate. The Oxfam-led coalition demands that Israel end the weaponization of aid, open all land crossings, and remove registration barriers.

“The answer is to open all borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks waiting,” said Anera’s Carroll.

Caption: People in support of ‘If Not Now,’ a Jewish pro-Palestine organization, protest US President Donald Trump’s involvement in the conflict and the starvation happening in Gaza at Columbus Circle near Trump Hotel in New York, New York, USA, 04 August 2025. EPA/SARAH YENESEL