Israel urged to lift restrictions amidst deteriorating Gaza food crisis
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deepening, as aid deliveries are being blocked and politicized by Israeli authorities, according to a joint letter from over 100 humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Israel has instituted new bureaucratic and registration rules that deny authorization for many international NGOs to operate, effectively blocking their aid deliveries despite urgent humanitarian needs. The organizations claim they are being told they are "not authorized" to deliver aid unless they comply with new Israeli regulations introduced in March.
As a result, warehouses stocked with food, medicine, and shelter supplies are unable to reach those in need. Millions of dollars’ worth of lifesaving supplies—including food, medicine, and water—remain stranded in warehouses in Jordan, Egypt, and at border crossings like Ashdod, just kilometers from Gaza, yet are not allowed to enter.
The blockage has led to hospitals lacking basic supplies, with vulnerable groups such as children, older people, and persons with disabilities suffering from hunger and preventable illnesses. Aid workers are also going hungry.
The organizations argue that the restrictions on aid delivery are causing starvation and preventable illnesses to deepen in Gaza. Israeli authorities have rejected more than 60 aid delivery requests in July alone.
UN officials and human rights experts warn that Israel's actions undermine the established UN humanitarian system, aggravate famine in Gaza, and constitute a weaponization of starvation, violating international law.
The organizations call on Israel to end the "weaponization of aid" into Gaza, lift restrictions, open all crossings for humanitarian access, and ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers. More than 27 governments have joined the call for action.
In summary, these organizations argue that Israel’s tightening control over aid delivery—through legal, administrative, and security measures—is effectively turning aid into a leverage tool in the conflict, obstructing impartial humanitarian relief and worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The organizations claim that the Israeli regulations introduced in March violate international law.
- The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deepening due to the politicization of aid deliveries and new regulations imposed by Israeli authorities, causing a blockage of supplies that include food, medicine, and water.
- The tightening control over aid delivery by Israeli authorities, through additional bureaucratic steps and security measures, allegedly violates international law and turns aid into a tool in the ongoing war-and-conflicts, worsening the general-news situation in Gaza.
