Israel imposes harsh new restrictions on Gaza aid groups

Israel has implemented strict restrictions on aid groups amid broader government efforts to limit aid delivery to Gaza and reduce the operating space available to humanitarian organisations.  

The Washington Post reported on Friday that Israel has begun imposing new visa and registration measures for foreign aid groups based in Palestinian territories.  

These sweeping new rules for international aid organisations raised concerns that aid workers would be forced to stop their work, potentially dismantling efforts to provide humanitarian relief in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. 

The new regulations grant Israeli officials broader authority to deny the registration of NGOs operating in the occupied territories if staff members have criticised Israel, such as calling for a political boycott or expressing support for legal actions against Israelis who served in the military over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza during Israel’s 16-month assault on the enclave. 

The harsh measures also stipulate that aid groups could face rejection if they have publicly refused to acknowledge Israel “as a Jewish and democratic state”.

The new restrictions are part of Israel’s broader strategy to curb aid delivery to Gaza and limit the political and legal space in which humanitarian groups can operate, sparking criticism from relief workers. 

Fears have escalated following Israel’s decision to block humanitarian aid earlier this month, which has plunged the Gaza Strip into a deeper state of desperation. 

Israel has also reiterated its long-standing accusations- without evidence- that aid intended for Gaza is being diverted to Hamas. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced halting food, fuel and other vital life-saving supplies- arguing the move was to pressure Gaza’s ruling group Hamas into releasing the remaining Israeli captives. 

Since the implementation of the blockade, reports suggest that Palestinians have been forced to rely on negative coping strategies, such as cutting back on their daily meals.  

The Gaza Government Media Office has also stated that the region is on the verge of collapse- highlighting that most of Gaza’s municipalities have ceased waste collection due to fuel shortages and have also stopped clearing streets and removing rubble. 

Human rights organisations have consistently warned of the foreseeable consequences of Israel’s ongoing ban. 

Niku Jafarnia, a researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), told Al Jazeera that their organisation found the deprivation of access to water in Gaza was carried out through various threatening means. 

“Not only by attacking desalination facilities but also by cutting off water through the pipelines that go into Gaza from Israel, by cutting off fuel or restricting access to fuel, and by also destroying and attacking wastewater treatment plants,” Jafarnia said. 

“It’s also a matter of not allowing any repair materials that are required to reconstruct and repair much of the water infrastructure and attacking a warehouse that belonged to the water municipality, which stored millions of dollars’ worth of repair equipment.”

Jafarnia pointed out that these actions have since “amounted to acts of genocide,” resulting in “deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the population of Gaza.” 

On Friday, the G7 called for the resumption of “unhindered” humanitarian aid to Gaza, signalling a potential shift in the US stance under Donald Trump, whose administration had previously refrained from criticising Israel for blocking aid.