Aid groups warn Israeli restrictions threaten Gaza operations into 2026

Humanitarian agencies working in the Gaza Strip are warning they may be unable to continue operations into 2026 due to restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, a move that could further deepen Gaza's already fragile humanitarian crisis.

Doctors without Borders (MSF) said on Monday that new Israeli rules governing international NGOs, set to come into force on 1 January, threaten the ability of the medical organisation and others to operate in the enclave.

MSF warned that Gaza could be cut off from vital medical services that only the organisation is currently able to provide, after Israel's war devastated the territory's healthcare system.

"MSF teams are trying to expand activities and support Gaza's shattered health system; in 2025 alone, we carried out almost 800,000 outpatient consultations and handled more than 100,000 trauma cases," Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator for Gaza, said.

"If we obtain registration, we plan to continue strengthening our activities in 2026," he added.

"If MSF loses its access to Gaza in 2026, due to the Israeli authorities, a large portion of people in Gaza will lose access to critical medical care, water, and lifesaving support," MSF said.

The restrictions, approved earlier this year and denounced by NGOs in May, would allow Israel to bar humanitarian organisations from operating in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank if they are deemed to be "delegitimising Israel" or supporting accountability for Israeli violations of international law.

A joint statement signed by 55 NGOs in May warned that "by framing humanitarian and human rights advocacy as a threat to the state, Israeli authorities can shut out organisations merely for speaking out about conditions they witness on the ground."

MSF’s warning comes as the UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said that while Gaza was no longer officially under famine, millions of Palestinians continue to face food insecurity as aid enters the enclave in limited quantities.

The agency warned on Friday that 1.6 million people in Gaza face food insecurity, while 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to suffer acute malnutrition through April 2026.

Islamic Relief said the findings show that insufficient aid is reaching Gaza, with its staff reporting that Palestinians are boiling wild plants due to severe food shortages.

"Islamic Relief warns a return to famine remains a real threat in the coming months unless there is renewed commitment to a full and lasting ceasefire, greater humanitarian access, and progress on rebuilding services, livelihoods and the economy," the organisation said.

Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis, Israel has continued its military attacks on Gaza, with air strikes reported in Rafah and Khan Younis, according to The New Arab's Arabic-language edition.

Israeli forces also infiltrated Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza under the cover of artillery shelling, the outlet reported.

Gaza's health ministry said at least 405 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire began, including four in the past 24 hours.

It added that eight bodies were recently recovered that had not previously been included in the toll, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since the war began to 70,937.

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday facilitated the release and transfer of six Palestinian detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel for six months. The men were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah for medical treatment, according to Anadolu.

Meanwhile, international mediators are working to advance the ceasefire into its second phase.

Zman Israel, the Hebrew-language site of the Times of Israel, reported that additional countries are set to contribute to Donald Trump's proposed "Peace Council", including Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, the UK, Italy and Germany.

The report said the US is also trying to include Saudi Arabia and Turkey, although Turkish participation has faced Israeli opposition.

Alongside the slow effort to build international backing for a second phase, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan’s Hebrew-language radio station Reshet Bet quoted an unnamed Arab diplomat as saying that a list of candidates for a Palestinian technocratic governing body had been presented to Israel.

The diplomat said that without Israeli approval, progress towards the second phase would be difficult, as the technocratic body is required for international forces to enter the enclave. He added that continued Israeli attacks in Gaza are preventing the ceasefire from advancing.