Countries such as Portugal and over 20 others publicly condemn the severe distress in Gaza.
In a joint statement addressed to the Government of Israel, over 100 international NGOs, including Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, have expressed concern over the current state of aid shipments and humanitarian actions in Israel, particularly in Gaza.
New Israeli regulations and bureaucratic obstacles have led to significant restrictions and delays in the delivery of lifesaving supplies. Many international NGOs have had their requests to bring aid into Gaza rejected, with at least 60 such requests denied in July 2025 alone. As a result, millions of dollars worth of food, medicine, and other critical supplies have been stranded in warehouses near Gaza, as well as in border regions in Egypt and Jordan.
One NGO, Anera, reported having over $7 million in lifesaving aid, including 744 tons of rice, ready but blocked just kilometers from Gaza. The Israeli military coordination agency COGAT claims that it facilitates aid entry, stating that 300 aid trucks, mostly carrying food, have entered Gaza daily in recent weeks. However, this is far below the estimated daily need of around 600 trucks to adequately feed Gaza’s population.
Delays have worsened from a few days during ceasefire periods to at least one month due to bureaucratic hurdles at border crossings such as Rafah. In response, a joint statement from 27 humanitarian partners on August 12, 2025, calls on the Israeli government to authorize all international NGO aid shipments and remove restrictions blocking essential humanitarian actors.
The statement highlights the urgency of halting starvation and calls for protection of aid workers and civilian safety during aid distribution. It also condemns the politicization of aid and demands the use of all crossings for large-scale humanitarian access to Gaza.
Furthermore, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations warn that unless Israel reverses the new NGO registration rules—which require sharing sensitive personal data and have led to de-registration threats—most international NGO partners risk being forced to withdraw by September 2025, which would further exacerbate Gaza’s dire humanitarian crisis.
In summary, the joint statements and NGO reports demonstrate a severe humanitarian bottleneck caused primarily by Israeli policy changes and administrative barriers. The joint statement urges the Government of Israel to allow the actions of essential humanitarian agents, but does not specify a deadline for the Government of Israel's response, the nature of the essential humanitarian actions, the reasons behind the request for aid and humanitarian action authorization, or any consequences for non-compliance by the Government of Israel. The joint statement concerns humanitarian actions and aid shipments, and requests authorization for all aid shipments from international NGOs by the Government of Israel.
The social and political implications of the current aid crisis in Gaza are significant, as millions of dollars worth of essential supplies remain stranded due to Israeli regulations and bureaucratic obstacles. The joint statement from international NGOs, including Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, demands the Israeli government to authorize all aid shipments from NGOs and remove restrictions blocking essential humanitarian actors. The statement highlights the urgent need to protect aid workers, prevent starvation, and ensure the use of all crossings for large-scale humanitarian access to Gaza.
