More than 100 international NGOs, including Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, have called on the international community to pressure Israel to "end the weaponisation of aid" in Gaza and lift its restrictive registration process for humanitarian organisations.
In a letter published on Thursday and signed by groups such as the Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children, the organisations said that "despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since March 2".
Since the blockade began, Israel has imposed numerous additional bureaucratic and physical obstacles to delivering food and aid to Gaza. Experts, including some within the UN and many aid organisations, are the main driving force behind the enclave's deadly famine.
"Instead of clearing the growing backlog of goods, Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are ‘not authorised to deliver aid'," the groups said.
The letter says over 60 requests were denied in July alone. The Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Ministry said on Tuesday that it revoked the work permits of 10 NGOs that had applied for authorisations.
While Palestinians face starvation, "this obstruction has left millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter items stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt", Haaretz reported.
Many of the NGOs have worked in Gaza for decades, but new policies introduced in March have prevented them from doing so.
Israel's rules let officials bar NGOs over political views, effectively banning Israel's critical organisations from sending aid. Groups that have supported boycotts or questioned Israel's occupation are being denied permits, while Israel demands donor and staff data that many countries forbid sharing - measures aid groups say amount to ideological vetting without proof.
According to the Diaspora Ministry, the ten delisted organisations include US-based Rahma Worldwide Aid and Development, which it claims, without evidence, has ties to the Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage, sanctioned for providing support to Al-Qaeda.
Another of the banned NGOs is Catholic Relief Services, which works with Islamic Relief Worldwide, and Gaza Direct Aid, cited for rhetoric that "includes outright denial of Israel's right to exist".
The letter by aid groups also names the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed initiative operating in Gaza since May, as part of "a broader Israeli strategy of obstructing aid". Both it and the registration process "aim to block impartial aid, exclude Palestinian actors, and replace trusted humanitarian organisations with mechanisms that serve political and military objectives".
The signatories urge states and donors to demand the end of bureaucratic obstruction, reject requirements to share sensitive information, and insist on the "immediate and unconditional" opening of land crossings for aid.
COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry body overseeing aid, rejected the accusations, stating the registration process is "based on clear professional and security criteria to prevent infiltration by terrorist elements," according to Haaretz.
A director at a European humanitarian organisation quoted by Israeli media said the letter was an act of "desperation", amid Israel's blocking of aid.
"It’s like sending up a flare from a boat in the middle of the ocean, hoping somebody sees you and does something.” With NGOs set to receive final registration decisions on 9 September, the director warned: "If you think it’s bad now, just see what happens when we don’t have registration by September 9."