Mounting alarm as Israeli authorities reject NGO applications to transport life-saving aid into Gaza

41 organisations operating on the ground in Gaza call on the Government of Israel to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and international law and let humanitarian aid flow freely. Since the ceasefire began, Israeli authorities have continued to arbitrarily reject shipments of life-saving assistance into Gaza, while a restrictive new INGO registration process further delays urgent humanitarian work.
Press release
Middle East Palestine
Published 23. Oct 2025

Between 10 and 21 of October 2025, 17 INGOs have had urgent shipments of aid, including water, food, tents and medical supplies denied entry into Gaza. 94% of all rejections by Israeli authorities were given to INGOs. Three-quarters of these denials were issued on the grounds that organisations are “not authorised” to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza. This includes agencies that continue to have long-standing INGO registration with Palestinian and Israeli authorities and are legally permitted to operate by the latter while new registration processes are ongoing. 

These humanitarian organisations are not new or untested actors. They are trusted agencies, operating in Gaza for decades. Such targeted exclusions are a clear indication that Israeli authorities are continuing to restrict and politicise aid in breach of both the terms and spirit of the ceasefire agreement.

Supplies are packaged, staff are equipped and ready to respond at scale. What we need now is access. Israeli authorities must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Between 10 and 21 October, 99 requests by international NGOs to deliver aid into Gaza were rejected, while six requests submitted by the UN agencies were denied. Aid denied by Israeli authorities includes tents and tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses, food and nutrition supplies, hygiene kits, sanitation materials, assistive devices, and children’s clothing, all of which should be unrestricted during the ceasefire. 

As of the end of September, three in four of the approval requests Israel has rejected were submitted by INGOs. These rejections have increased since the total siege began in March and Israel introduced the new INGO registration system. 

The announcement of a ceasefire was welcomed as a critical moment of relief for Palestinian civilians, yet reports of renewed violations highlight its fragility. The continued rejection of aid entry is deeply alarming. After more than two years of relentless and continued bombardments — with dozens killed in the past week alone — and the resulting deprivation, forced displacement, and starvation, blocking humanitarian expertise and supplies undermines the collective effort to save lives.

Almost $50 million worth of essential goods from operational INGOs — food, medical supplies, hygiene items, and shelter materials — remain stockpiled at crossings and warehouses, unable to reach those in need. Palestinians in Gaza are now bracing for winter, many in makeshift shelters without insulation, heating, clean water, or toilet facilities. Time is running out, without immediate, unimpeded access, preventable deaths will rise.

The restrictions are depriving Palestinians from lifesaving aid and undermining coordination of the response system in Gaza which relies on collaboration between local organisations, national institutions, UN agencies and international NGOs.

Humanitarian access is a legal obligation under international law, not a concession of the ceasefire. The ceasefire must ensure a lasting end to hostilities and guarantee the free, safe, principled and sustained flow of aid in line with Palestinians rights to safety, dignity, and self-determination. Anything less risks turning relief into yet another broken promise. Israel’s new registration system must be rescinded to allow aid to move freely, unimpeded and unrestricted.

Signatory organizations operational in Gaza directly or through partners:

  1. ACS Associazione Cooperazione e Solidarieta'

  2. Action Against Hunger (ACF)

  3. Action For Humanity

  4. ActionAid Denmark

  5. ActionAid International

  6. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

  7. CESVI Fondazione - ETS

  8. CISS - Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud

  9. DanChurchAid

  10. Diakonia

  11. Finn Church Aid

  12. Glia

  13. HEKS/EPER(Swiss Church Aid)

  14. HelpAge International

  15. Humanity & Inclusion - Handicap International

  16. Humanity First UK

  17. IDEALS

  18. Islamic Relief Worldwide

  19. Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)

  20. Médecins du Monde International Network (MdM)

  21. Médecins Sans Frontières

  22. MedGlobal

  23. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

  24. Medico International

  25. Mennonite Central Committee

  26. NORWAC-Norwegian Aid Committee

  27. Norwegian Church Aid

  28. Norwegian People’s Aid

  29. Norwegian Refugee Council

  30. Oxfam

  31. Palestinian Medical Relief Society 

  32. People in Need

  33. Plan International

  34. Première Urgence Internationale

  35. Secours Islamique France (SIF)

  36. Terre des Hommes Italy

  37. Terre des hommes Lausanne

  38. The Center for Mind Body Medicine -  CMBM

  39. The Middle East Children's Alliance

  40. War Child Alliance

  41. Welthungerhilfe