Hello, this is Kasmira. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been speaking to workers at a number of international aid groups confronted with Israel’s demand that they re-register through an even more stringent process to be able to continue delivering aid in Palestinian territories.
Already facing near-impossible restrictions at every turn, they see it as another bureaucratic yet frightening move to silence and divide the international community, as conditions in Gaza and the West Bank worsen by the day. |
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Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid bound for Gaza wait on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Crossing, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, 18 August 2025. (Keystone/EPA/Mohame Hossam)
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At health clinics across the Gaza Strip, around 100 social workers, nurses and physios wearing blue sleeveless vests emblazoned with Humanity and Inclusion’s (HI) hand logo on their backs work around the clock, rehabilitating victims of war and fitting hundreds of amputees with prosthetics. The aid group has been operating in the Palestinian territories since 1996, where it also provides psychosocial support and education on staying safe from bombings and unexploded munitions. However, strict Israeli rules introduced in March, requiring international aid groups to hand over sensitive information, including lists of their donors and Palestinian staff, are now threatening to shut down HI’s work, along with that of other organisations that fail to comply.
Humanitarians Geneva Solutions spoke to – some on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals – said the latest bureaucratic measures added pressure to an already heavily curtailed aid system struggling to meet the needs of millions of Palestinians in Gaza.
Earlier this month, Israel postponed a 9 September deadline for NGOs to meet the new requirements or risk delisting until the end of the year, bringing some temporary relief to organisations and the governments of their home countries, amid escalating tensions between Israel and western nations over the ongoing war in Gaza.
But it’s done little to resolve the underlying problems, HI’s Palestine country director, Anne-Claire Yaeesh, told Geneva Solutions. “Instead, it perpetuates an unstable and uncertain situation. It leaves humanitarian actors operating in limbo, unable to plan or implement predictable, sustained responses,” she said.
Read the full story on Geneva Solutions.
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