Lifesaving aid in Palestine under threat from new Israeli measures, Quakers warn
New Israeli government rules threaten aid across Palestine, leaving civilians facing acute hunger and inadequate shelter, 53 international organisations, including Quakers in Britain, have warned.
The groups say Israel must halt deregistration proceedings for NGOs and remove barriers that block aid. Donor countries should use all leverage to reverse the measures.
This move would severely restrict humanitarian assistance and extend Israeli control over humanitarian operations in Palestine, in breach of internationally recognised law, the statement said.
On 30 December, 37 international NGOs (INGOs) in Gaza and the West Bank heard their registrations would expire the next day, giving them 60 days to wind down operations.
The list includes the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Quaker relief and service organisation in the USA.
Israel introduced strict registration rules in March, requiring INGOs to share sensitive personal information about staff and their families.
The 53 signatories warned the measures put Palestinian humanitarian workers, over 500 of whom have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, at further risk.
"A deliberate policy choice"
The Israeli government's process is “a deliberate policy choice with foreseeable consequences," the statement said.
"If registrations are allowed to lapse, the Israeli government will obstruct humanitarian assistance at scale."
Despite a ceasefire, one in four families in Gaza survives on a single meal a day. Winter storms have displaced tens of thousands, leaving 1.3 million people in urgent need of shelter.
INGOs provide over half of Gaza's food aid, run or support 60 per cent of field hospitals, deliver nearly three-quarters of shelter and non-food assistance, and treat all children with severe acute malnutrition.
They already operate under strict compliance frameworks, including audits and counterterror financing controls that meet international standards, the statement added.
AFSC said it had made the "difficult decision" not to reapply for registration, citing the risk of sharing operational information with "a government credibly accused of genocide and apartheid."
The organisation, which has worked in Gaza since 1948, continues to operate without international staff, sourcing aid locally while assessing the impact of the new rules.
Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain, said: "Our Quaker faith calls us to uphold the sacredness of every human life and to speak against policies that deepen suffering.
"The recent registration measures threaten to halt lifesaving aid at a time of extreme need, undermining international humanitarian law and the dignity of civilians in Palestine."