Israel plans to bar 37 international aid organizations from operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, effective March 1, 2026, a move that aid groups warn will trigger a humanitarian collapse. The decision follows a December 30, 2025, notification from Israeli authorities that the organizations’ registrations had expired and required renewal, contingent on providing detailed lists of their Palestinian staff.
Seventeen international aid groups have petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court seeking an urgent suspension of the ban, arguing the requirements violate humanitarian principles and data protection laws. The groups contend that complying with the Israeli order would expose Palestinian staff to potential retaliation. A joint statement released Tuesday described the plan as having “potentially devastating consequences” for Palestinians.
Among the organizations facing the ban are Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and CARE, all of which provide critical assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Oxfam International stated the closure of aid operations could start as early as Saturday, impacting the wider humanitarian system.
The Israeli government’s demand for staff lists has been met with resistance from aid organizations, who argue it undermines the principle of neutrality in humanitarian work. The court petition asserts that “turning humanitarian organizations into an information-gathering arm for a party to the conflict stands in total contradiction to the principle of neutrality.” Organizations have proposed alternative vetting systems, including donor-audited processes, but these have not been accepted by Israeli authorities.
The move comes amid a backdrop of escalating tensions in the region. According to the United Nations, 133 NGO workers have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, including 15 staff members of MSF. The vast majority of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents rely on aid groups for essential supplies, including food, water, healthcare, and shelter, following extensive damage to infrastructure during the conflict.
The decision to bar aid groups also occurs as Israel faces increasing international condemnation for its expansion of control over the occupied West Bank. More than 80 UN member states recently condemned Israel’s de facto annexation of West Bank territory, warning it will lead to widespread dispossession of Palestinian land. The situation in the West Bank is further complicated by the increasing activity of Islamic Jihad, which is filling a vacuum created by Hamas’s focus on Gaza, according to analysts.
In the West Bank, aid groups report rising humanitarian needs driven by military incursions, demolitions, displacement, settlement expansion, and settler violence. The organizations are awaiting a ruling from the Israeli Supreme Court on their appeal for an interim injunction, which could temporarily halt the implementation of the ban while a full judicial review is conducted.
