New Israeli regulations governing the registration of non-governmental organizations risk severely disrupting humanitarian operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, aid workers warned, as more than a dozen groups have already been rejected under the new framework.
Under the rules, NGOs must re-register by Dec. 31, a process Israel says is intended to prevent hostile actors or supporters of terrorism from operating in Palestinian territories, not to impede humanitarian assistance.
The controversy unfolds as Gaza continues to face a deep humanitarian crisis, with limited access to running water and electricity, despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire reached in October following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.
Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism told AFP that as of November 2025, about 100 registration requests had been submitted, with 14 organizations rejected, while the remainder were approved or remain under review. Rejections, the ministry said, apply to organizations linked to terrorism, antisemitism, Holocaust denial, delegitimization of Israel, or denial of the crimes of Oct. 7.
Aid workers, however, warn that the new rules could sharply reduce humanitarian capacity. While the cease-fire agreement called for 600 aid trucks per day to enter Gaza, only 100 to 300 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are currently allowed in, according to NGOs and the United Nations.
